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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. To what does the narrator compare Gin's mother's rosary?
(a) A belt.
(b) A noose.
(c) A bolo tie.
(d) A snake.

2. What is the rhetorical purpose of the anaphora in the narrator's description of the Gold Coast residents having sex?
(a) It creates increasing tension as the list continues.
(b) It highlights the comic understatement of the narrator's response to the situation.
(c) It forms an ironic contrast with the story's opening.
(d) It stresses the similarities between the narrator and these strangers.

3. What is the narrator's tone when he recalls, "I was trying to calm your terror with reassuring phrases such as 'Holy shit! I don’t fucking believe this!'” (236)?
(a) Fatalistic.
(b) Acerbic.
(c) Bemused.
(d) Ironic.

4. What does the narrator compare the dead woman's hair to?
(a) A wig.
(b) Leaves.
(c) Seaweed.
(d) A horse's tail.

5. On page 243, there is a reference to "Casanova." Why is this historical figure mentioned?
(a) He was a priest who argued that premarital sex is not a mortal sin.
(b) He was a legendary lover.
(c) He was a poet who wrote about the nobility of faithfulness.
(d) He was a groundbreaking psychiatrist.

6. What does Gin mean when she tells the narrator that she knows the dead woman?
(a) The woman is a distant relative of Gin's.
(b) The woman was not much older than Gin.
(c) She dreams about the woman.
(d) The woman was from her neighborhood.

7. To what does the narrator compare the other lovers on the beach?
(a) Abandoned mannequins.
(b) Crash-test dummies.
(c) Sleeping dolls.
(d) Fallen soldiers.

8. In the story's opening, what details are related to the characters' youth?
(a) The condition of the Rambler and the rosary.
(b) Light and darkness.
(c) Grass, leaves, and snow.
(d) Gin's bed and their parents' cars.

9. What is the detail about how long the narrator has been carrying a condom in his pocket meant to convey?
(a) His relative experience compared to Gin.
(b) His blindness to Gin's feelings.
(c) His eagerness to have sex with Gin.
(d) His responsible attitude.

10. While he is on the beach, what does the narrator imagine the couples in the high-rises around them are wearing?
(a) Spa robes.
(b) Business suits.
(c) Monogrammed pajamas.
(d) Cocktail attire.

11. What happens after the night on the beach, when the narrator senses Gin growing distant while they are kissing?
(a) He pretends to feel the same way she does.
(b) He tries to tell her jokes to cheer her up.
(c) He tells her she is crazy.
(d) He kisses her harder.

12. On the night when he realizes that their relationship is over, what does the narrator realize he really wants from Gin?
(a) For her to get over the incident on the beach.
(b) For her to apologize to him.
(c) For her to like him again.
(d) For her to stay away from him.

13. Gin mentions her "nonna's cottage" (240). Whose cottage is this?
(a) Her aunt.
(b) Her grandmother.
(c) Her sister.
(d) Her mother.

14. On page 234, which of the following terms does the narrator use to describe the sunset?
(a) "Restless rose."
(b) "Rose rapture."
(c) "Panorama pink."
(d) "Pink peace."

15. Who asks the narrator and Gin questions as they try to leave the beach?
(a) Curious onlookers.
(b) The police officer with a beer belly.
(c) The police officer with the crew cut.
(d) The ambulance attendant.

Short Answer Questions

1. What repetition technique is used in the story's opening paragraph?

2. To what British author does the narrator ironically compare himself near the end of the story?

3. Why does Gin tell the narrator "Stop" when they are just about to have sex (236)?

4. What kind of blanket does Gin bring to the beach?

5. What is the rhetorical purpose of including the detail "the skinny rails of your legs" (235) when the narrator is talking about taking off Gin's bikini bottom?

(see the answer keys)

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