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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. In "Café Mort," what does the narrator guess about the man "with eyes ringed like a raccoon's" (94)?
(a) He is a writer.
(b) He was murdered.
(c) He is in love with Rita.
(d) He is only recently dead.

3. In "While It Lasts," whose owns the apartment where the party is held?
(a) Mr. Buffy.
(b) Richard's company.
(c) Isabel's stepmother.
(d) Froy.

4. In "Café Mort," what do the regular patrons talk about constantly?
(a) Fairy tales.
(b) Funerals.
(c) Clichéd advice.
(d) Politics.

5. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what is Ned embarrassed about when he remembers coming to Boston Common with his mother seven years before?
(a) His mother's drinking.
(b) The argument he got into with his mother.
(c) The outfits he and his brother wore.
(d) How little he knew about Boston.

6. In "Café Mort," what does the narrator guess about Maggie?
(a) That she is unaware that the patrons are dead.
(b) That she is an orphan.
(c) That she will quit soon.
(d) That she is in love with one of the cooks.

7. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what is the rhetorical purpose of mentioning the rip in Ned's parka?
(a) It introduces Ned's capacity for violence.
(b) It demonstrates that he is careless.
(c) It reinforces how young he is.
(d) It reveals the family's poverty.

8. In "While It Lasts," what single word is Bonnie's "first lie to [George]" (87)?
(a) "Isabel."
(b) "Yes."
(c) "Yesterday."
(d) "Nothing."

9. On page 107 of "Boston Common at Twilight," what causes Ned to sudden feel "that something uncertain was going to happen and he would be blamed for whatever it was"?
(a) When the woman leads him into the subway.
(b) When the woman gestures for him to follow her out of the park.
(c) When the woman shows Ned the knife.
(d) When the woman first speaks to him in the park.

10. In "While It Lasts," what does George compliment Isabel on?
(a) Her smile.
(b) Her legs.
(c) Her wit.
(d) Her voice.

11. In "Café Mort," how does the narrator unwind after a shift at work?
(a) With a hot bath.
(b) A book and a beer.
(c) Television and popcorn.
(d) By smoking marijuana.

12. In "Café Mort," who comes in with the electrocuted woman?
(a) Her nurse.
(b) Her husband.
(c) Her daughter.
(d) Her sister.

13. In "While It Lasts," what does Bonnie think is Isabel's problem with finding love?
(a) She thinks that Isabel is not serious enough about life.
(b) She thinks that Isabel might not actually be attracted to men.
(c) She thinks that Isabel's standards are too high.
(d) She thinks that Isabel's drinking turns men off.

14. 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 looks right through him like he is not there.
(b) The man laughs at him.
(c) The man turns away and refuses to make eye contact.
(d) The man seems to know the woman who is abducting Ned.

15. In "Boston Common at Twilight," why are Ned's parents splitting up?
(a) Ned's father has fallen in love with another woman.
(b) Ned's father wants to move the family to the West Coast for his business.
(c) Ned's father is under criminal investigation.
(d) Because of Ned's mother's drinking.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Why I Don't Write," what claim is made about the impact of having children on female writers?

2. In "Boston Common at Twilight," who is Matt?

3. On page 108 of "Boston Common at Twilight," what causes Ned to feel "something hot and terrible rush through him"?

4. In "Boston Common at Twilight," what temporarily makes Ned feel safer?

5. In "Boston Common at Twilight," how does Ned's brother react when Ned tells him about the assault?

(see the answer keys)

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