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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Dympna is convinced that Hector is "working the slow grift" on the woman in Ballintober (98). What does this mean he thinks Hector is doing?
(a) Limiting their time together so she does not find out how he makes his money.
(b) Spending time with her to con her out of money.
(c) Stringing her along until he finds a woman he likes better.
(d) Pretending to like her so that he can have sex with her.

2. What offends Paudi about his brother's personal grooming?
(a) His hair-care routine.
(b) His collection of colognes.
(c) His mismatched clothing.
(d) He has started wearing jewelry.

3. What is the antecedent of "it" in the story's ending, when the barman thinks "the man will come back for it" (210)?
(a) Eli's umbrella.
(b) Doran's wallet.
(c) Eli's overcoat.
(d) Doran's photograph of Maryanne.

4. What does Arm take from Fannigan's house?
(a) A religious statuette.
(b) A television.
(c) A pair of shoes.
(d) A wad of cash.

5. After Paudi shows Dympna the injured dog, what question does he ask Dympna?
(a) Whether Hector already told him what happened
(b) Whether Dympna will euthanize the dog for him.
(c) Whether he thinks they can trust a vet to come to the farm.
(d) Whether he knows of a good vet.

6. Besides money, what does Arm take from the horse farm?
(a) The horse.
(b) A photo of Jack.
(c) Rebecca's jacket.
(d) Some first aid supplies.

7. What is in the satchel that Dympna brings to the uncles' farm?
(a) Weapons.
(b) Money.
(c) Prescription drugs.
(d) Marijuana.

8. What is the name of the bar where Doran is drinking in the beginning of "Kindly Forget My Existence"?
(a) The Boatman's Tavern.
(b) Quillinan's.
(c) Dockery's Pub.
(d) The Yellow Belly.

9. How did the "Diamonds" narrator's cat die?
(a) He escaped the narrator's flat and ran into traffic.
(b) He found and ate drugs the narrator had stashed in his closet.
(c) The narrator forgot to give him food and water.
(d) While drunk, the narrator rolled on him and suffocated him.

10. What does Eli notice makes up the pattern on Doran's tie?
(a) Musical notes.
(b) Happy faces.
(c) Mushrooms.
(d) Skulls.

11. What is the first clue that Arm has died?
(a) The old man in fishing gear reappearing.
(b) The shift in the narrator's focus from Arm to Maire.
(c) The shift in tone from bright and cheerful to mournful and dark.
(d) Maire's repeated urging about getting medical attention.

12. Where are the barman's scars in "Kindly Forget My Existence"?
(a) On his arms.
(b) On his hands.
(c) On his throat.
(d) On his face.

13. How does Siobhán know the "Diamonds" narrator?
(a) Her brother is the school principal.
(b) She is a friend of the narrator's sister.
(c) She remembers the narrator from high school.
(d) Her son is in the narrator's gym class.

14. What is the name of the band that Doran and Eli were in?
(a) Skullduggery Nine.
(b) Satan on Sabbatical.
(c) My Existence.
(d) Sunken Figure.

15. What thought does the "Diamonds" narrator say he had after his cat died?
(a) That he should never have another pet.
(b) That he needed to start going to AA meetings.
(c) That he should get some therapy.
(d) That he should kill himself.

Short Answer Questions

1. It is reasonable to infer that for the "Diamonds" narrator, the most depressing part of the unusually harsh winter is what?

2. On page 173, the "Diamonds" narrator describes "the abrupt drumlins of his knuckles." What are "drumlins"?

3. On page 195, how does Eli characterize his marriage to Maryanne?

4. Why is Doran trying to ignore the ticking of the clock above the bar?

5. What technique is employed in the phrase "the bright white furnace of cold" (175)?

(see the answer keys)

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