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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 does J.P. ask his wife on a first date?
(a) A week after they meet.
(b) The day after they meet.
(c) He doesn't ask her; she asks him.
(d) The night they meet.

2. How do the other patients respond when Tiny tells his story at breakfast?
(a) They laugh and shake their heads.
(b) They interrupt him.
(c) They tell him to be quiet.
(d) They ignore him.

3. Where is Tiny hoping to be on New Year's Eve?
(a) At home with his wife.
(b) At a friend's party.
(c) In Times Square.
(d) At home with his girlfriend.

4. On another occasion, how does J.P. physically injure his wife?
(a) Dislocates her shoulder.
(b) Breaks her thumb.
(c) Breaks her nose.
(d) Scratches her face.

5. What phrase does the narrator use for casually talking with someone?
(a) "Shooting the bull."
(b) "Batting the breeze."
(c) "Chewing the fat."
(d) "Shooting the breeze."

Short Answer Questions

1. What do J.P. and the narrator drink on the porch on the morning of New Year's Day?

2. Whose car do the narrator and his girlfriend take to the facility?

3. When does the narrator's appetite return?

4. According to the narrator, what is the physical appearance of his landlord?

5. How does Tiny fall at the beginning of the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of New Year's Eve in the story?

2. In the section about the landlord, what does the narrator's nakedness represent?

3. What is the significance of the call the narrator intends to make to his wife at the end of the story?

4. Why does Tiny stay at the facility?

5. Give an example of sarcasm in the story.

6. Why is the narrator so enthralled by J.P.'s stories?

7. Why does the proprietor tell the narrator and J.P. that Jack London was an alcoholic?

8. How does the narrator feel about his girlfriend?

9. Is the story sympathetic or not sympathetic to alcoholics, and why?

10. Give an example of how the image of hills and valleys is used by the author.

(see the answer keys)

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