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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following best describes "Of Dragons and Garden Peas"?
(a) A children's book that Alice reads to her daughters.
(b) A film that Alice produces for PBS.
(c) A New Yorker piece written by Calvin Trillin.
(d) A New England Journal of Medicine piece written by Alice.

2. What is the name of Alice's friend and colleague who has ovarian cancer?
(a) Mina Shaughnessy.
(b) Annie Navasky.
(c) Jane Maher.
(d) Maggie Smith.

3. In chapter five, which person is mentioned as having volunteered at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp?
(a) Paul Newman.
(b) Julie Andrews.
(c) Julia Roberts.
(d) Emma Roberts.

4. What advice does Calvin receive in the 1960s from an older writer at work?
(a) That it is a good idea for Calvin to have his wife look at his first drafts.
(b) That Calvin shows his wife final drafts.
(c) That Calvin reads his own rough drafts.
(d) That it is unwise of Calvin to show his wife his rough drafts.

5. In chapter six, what does a carpenter named Frank tell Alice during her home renovation project?
(a) Sooner or later, we're all going to leave, and this is going to be your place.
(b) It's going to be worth the trouble. Your children grow up here.
(c) I broke the banister.
(d) I underestimate the amount of money this project costs you.

6. When Calvin and Alice fid themselves in a hotel room that is not as they expect, what do they do?
(a) They check out and immediately go home.
(b) They move to another hotel.
(c) They complain to hotel management.
(d) They make the best of it.

7. In chapter five, Trillin states that he once gives a speech at the annual dinner for which organization?
(a) Yale University.
(b) Yale-Newhaven Hospital.
(c) Yale Senior Society.
(d) The Yale Westchester Alumni Association.

8. What does Mina do to cheer herself up, and to lift the spirits of those around her?
(a) She dresses nicely.
(b) She plays inspirational songs.
(c) She plants flowers.
(d) She plays the piano.

9. Where does Calvin and Alice purchase their first home?
(a) Nova Scotia.
(b) New York City.
(c) New Jersey.
(d) Long Island.

10. Which one of the following statements is true?
(a) Mina Shaughnessy is surgeon.
(b) Mina Shaughnessy is a medical technician.
(c) Mina Shaughnessy is a dietitian.
(d) Mina Shaughnessy is fourteen years older than Alice.

11. In chapter four, an encounter is described taking place in an elevator between Alice and a young boy with cancer. What does he say about her type of cancer?
(a) "They treat that like the common cold."
(b) "That's a dragon you can't slay."
(c) "That's bad."
(d) "That's the worst kind."

12. According to Calvin, what is the definition of an intellectual?
(a) Someone who knows the definition of holistic. Someone who translates fluently from the Toltec.
(b) Someone who knows how to translate heuristics.
(c) Someone who knows the definition of holistic.
(d) Someone whose instinct is to analyze anything that happens and try to make some sense of it.

13. According to Calvin, when is Alice at her "bossiest"?
(a) When she tells her daughters that smoking is not an option for them to consider.
(b) When she renovates her house.
(c) When she tells Calvin that his work on a book is not acceptable.
(d) When she is at work.

14. Where does Alice once work?
(a) Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital
(b) Scholastic.
(c) Random House.
(d) Ford Modeling Agency.

15. What is one of the most negative words that Alice uses to describe a person?
(a) Ugly.
(b) Aggressive.
(c) Stupid.
(d) Passive.

Short Answer Questions

1. Trillin states that his goddaughter marries into a family with some involvement in what kind of industry?

2. Of the following, which one best describes Calvin and Alice's first home?

3. Select the city in which Calvin and Alice have a disagreement about money.

4. What is the name of the camp where Alice volunteers to work with seriously ill children?

5. Finish this sentence: Calvin states that if he works in a corporate job ...

(see the answer keys)

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