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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Lizzie gives an example of Sylvia's former optimism, she discusses a time when someone asked her a question about what element?
(a) Gag reflex.
(b) Shame.
(c) Dismay.
(d) Applause.

2. William Derham advocated for what sort of treatment of the Earth?
(a) Moderate.
(b) Sustainable.
(c) Careful.
(d) Aggressive.

3. Lizzie recalls going into labor with Eli on the second day of what event?
(a) A blizzard.
(b) A hurricane.
(c) A blackout.
(d) A tornado.

4. Lizzie reports that her "crankiest" (19) patrons are which people?
(a) Parents.
(b) Students.
(c) Guest speakers.
(d) Professors.

5. Which birthday is Lizzie approaching in Chapter One?
(a) 36.
(b) 44.
(c) 32.
(d) 48.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Lizzie provides an example of Sylvia's current pessimism, she discusses a time when Sylvia gave her answer in the form of a quote by William Derham from which year?

2. What does Eli normally call Lizzie?

3. The back-to-school concert song Eli likes best turns out to be which song?

4. Henry gets a job working for what kind of company in Chapter One?

5. When Lizzie invokes a saying usually applied to the Holocaust, what creature does she use to direct the quote's focus toward humans' destruction of the planet?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the protagonist's immediate family as depicted in Chapter One of Weather: A Novel.

2. Characterize the relationship between Lizzie and her brother Henry.

3. Why is Lizzie relieved when Henry and Catherine decide not to have a big wedding?

4. Describe Sylvia's penchant for visiting sites with particular qualities.

5. For what reason does Offill include Mohan's opinions about the upcoming election in Chapter Two?

6. Where does Henry go when he loses his apartment in Chapter One?

7. What does the moth from Madagascar symbolize and why?

8. What act of altruism does Lizzie fondly remember from the night she gave birth to Eli?

9. What is "looping," (43) according to Lizzie?

10. What is the significance of the scene in which Eli and Lizzie gaze at the moon together in Chapter One?

(see the answer keys)

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