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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 the other lovers on the beach?
(a) Fallen soldiers.
(b) Abandoned mannequins.
(c) Sleeping dolls.
(d) Crash-test dummies.

2. 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 ambulance attendant.
(d) The police officer with the crew cut.

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

4. Which detail of the narrator's description of their kisses indicates the passage of time?
(a) The wind.
(b) The lip gloss.
(c) The suntan lotion.
(d) The Cokes.

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

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

7. When the police examine the woman's body in the light of their flashlights, what does her nakedness and obvious pregnancy cause them to do?
(a) Cross themselves and say a prayer.
(b) Remove their hats and bow their heads.
(c) Look at Gin uncomfortably.
(d) Tell the narrator and Gin to move back.

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

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

10. 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?
(a) To create a mood of disgust.
(b) To convey the narrator's ambiguous sexual orientation.
(c) To imply that the narrator is not really attracted to Gin.
(d) To depict Gin's youth and vulnerability.

11. What kind of buildings are on the lovers' lane?
(a) Abandoned factories.
(b) Run-down cottages.
(c) Giant warehouses.
(d) Bars and strip clubs.

12. What is the tone of the narrator's description of people in Gold Coast apartments having sex?
(a) Wry.
(b) Effusive.
(c) Ghoulish.
(d) Derisive.

13. What technique is employed in the phrase "and justice for all" (234)?
(a) Verbal irony.
(b) Metaphor.
(c) Litotes.
(d) Allusion.

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

15. What kind of blanket does Gin bring to the beach?
(a) Her grandmother's quilt.
(b) A picnic blanket.
(c) A Navajo blanket.
(d) An army blanket.

Short Answer Questions

1. What happens after the night on the beach, when the narrator senses Gin growing distant while they are kissing?

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

3. When the narrator unbuttons the second button on Gin's shirt, what does he see?

4. What technique is employed in the phrase "How adept we were at fumbling" (233)?

5. Why does the narrator say that Lake Michigan "became" the Pacific Ocean (235)?

(see the answer keys)

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