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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On page 66 of "Why I Don't Write," what is the subject of the only article the narrator reads all the way through?
(a) A missing child.
(b) A bombing.
(c) A suicide.
(d) A traffic accident.

2. In "Why I Don't Write," what feeling does the narrator say "used to have a ragged pain, sometimes wafty, sometimes sharp as needles" (70)?
(a) Caring.
(b) Love.
(c) Ambition.
(d) Grief.

3. In "While It Lasts," what does Bonnie do for a living?
(a) She is a public defender.
(b) She is an interior designer.
(c) She is a teacher.
(d) She is a psychologist.

4. On page 108 of "Boston Common at Twilight," what causes Ned to feel "something hot and terrible rush through him"?
(a) He notices that the woman may be trying to disguise her biological sex.
(b) The woman grabs Ned's arm.
(c) The woman tells Ned that he will need to come back to her apartment.
(d) The woman shows Ned the knife.

5. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what causes Ned to believe that the big man on the subway will not be willing to help him?
(a) The man laughs at him.
(b) The man seems to know the woman who is abducting Ned.
(c) The man looks right through him like he is not there.
(d) The man turns away and refuses to make eye contact.

6. In "Boston Common at Twilight," how many times has Ned seen his father since his father broke the news about his separation from their mother?
(a) 0.
(b) 2.
(c) 3.
(d) 1.

7. In "Why I Don't Write," what family member does the narrator have a conflict with?
(a) Her mother.
(b) Her husband.
(c) Her brother.
(d) Her daughter.

8. In "While It Lasts," George is said to be "an expert at being flippant" (82). What does this mean George is good at?
(a) Deadpan, ironic humor.
(b) Shallow, disrespectful humor.
(c) Absurd, farcical humor.
(d) Dark, bitter humor.

9. In "Café Mort," what is the name of the woman in the white nightgown who claims that she is still alive?
(a) Francine.
(b) Anita.
(c) Roxanne.
(d) Jules.

10. In "Café Mort," what were the Russian dancer's dances about when she was alive?
(a) Despair.
(b) Anger.
(c) Love.
(d) Hope.

11. In "Café Mort," what occupies the attention of the "beige woman"?
(a) A miniature television.
(b) The man with dark-rimmed eyes.
(c) The small dog she has in her purse.
(d) The cooks.

12. According to "Why I Don't Write," what is the problem with making donations?
(a) The tax write-off is not high enough.
(b) You'll be asked for more.
(c) People do not appreciate them enough.
(d) They do not go to the purpose you intended.

13. In "Café Mort," which waitress has been at the café the longest?
(a) Maggie.
(b) Sharon.
(c) Karen.
(d) Rita.

14. In "Café Mort," what is true of all of the employees?
(a) They are dead.
(b) They are in mourning.
(c) They are figments of the narrator's imagination.
(d) They are in limbo.

15. In "Why I Don't Write," what is the likely source of items like "Sponge. Lemon. Milk" (66)?
(a) A column of cleaning advice.
(b) A grocery list.
(c) An inventory.
(d) A dream.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what does Ned like about staying with his aunt?

2. At the end of "While It Lasts," what do Bonnie and George argue about?

3. In "While It Lasts," what does Isabel claim is "antisocial" (80)?

4. In "Why I Don't Write," what does the narrator have a dream about?

5. In "Café Mort," what does the narrator guess about the man "with eyes ringed like a raccoon's" (94)?

(see the answer keys)

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