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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. How much does the narrator's phone call on New Year's Eve cost?
(a) A quarter.
(b) Fifty cents.
(c) A dime.
(d) A dollar.

2. How does Tiny fall at the beginning of the story?
(a) From a standing position onto the floor.
(b) Slumps across the table.
(c) From a seated position in his chair onto the floor.
(d) Onto the floor while getting up from his chair.

3. What does the teenager say when the narrator and his girlfriend are leaving for the facility?
(a) "The hell with you."
(b) "Drive safely."
(c) "Good riddance."
(d) "I'll be gone when you get back."

4. How does the narrator describe himself and others at the facility?
(a) As losers.
(b) As addicts.
(c) As alcoholics.
(d) As drunks.

5. On one occasion, how does J.P. physically injure his wife?
(a) Breaks her wrist.
(b) Splits her lip.
(c) Gives her a black eye.
(d) Punches her in the stomach.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does J.P. look like?

2. What story is Tiny telling when the breakfast incident occurs?

3. What does the title of the story refer to?

4. When does J.P. ask his wife on a first date?

5. How does the narrator pay for his stay at the facility?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why don't we learn what the narrator does for a living?

2. What are the signs that J.P. is making a recovery?

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

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

5. Why does the narrator not tell J.P. that he woke up on New Year's Day wanting a drink?

6. How does J.P. act when he tells the story about his descent into alcoholism?

7. Why is the narrator's girlfriend's son "mouthy"?

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

9. Discuss how J.P.'s experience as a child in the well mirrors his experience as an adult alcoholic.

10. How is friendship presented in the story?

(see the answer keys)

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