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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. Calvin states that he and his wife disagree about which of the following details from the night when they first meet?
(a) The pipe smoke and the glow.
(b) The food and the beverages.
(c) The hat and the punch bowl.
(d) The hat and the pipe smoke.

2. Where does Alice spend her childhood?
(a) Alice grows up in Greenwich and Nova Scotia.
(b) Alice grows up in New York City and New Jersey.
(c) Alice grows up in Greenhaven and Harrison, New York.
(d) Alice grows up in North Carolina and Long Island.

3. How does Calvin portray his wife Alice in books and magazine articles written before she dies?
(a) The goofball.
(b) The voice of reason.
(c) The wicked witch.
(d) The cancer victim.

4. Who writes the condolence letter that makes Calvin laugh?
(a) Roger Wilkins.
(b) Dick Francis.
(c) Richard Harris.
(d) Mina Shaughnessy.

5. Where does Alice's father first meet Alice's mother?
(a) The Empire State Building.
(b) At a swimming pool.
(c) Greenwich Village.
(d) At a bowling alley.

Short Answer Questions

1. In chapter two, what fact about Dick Francis and his wife does Calvin share with the reader?

2. How does Calvin describe the impact of Alice's beauty on her life?

3. In what month and year does Calvin first meet Alice?

4. What is the name of the Calvin's eldest daughter?

5. What disease does Alice's mother suffer from?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one positive quality that Alice inherits from her father? Why do you think this quality is especially beneficial to Alice?

2. Describe Calvin Trillin's father-in-law.

3. In chapter two, Calvin Trillin reveals that he never stops trying to impress his wife Alice. Give an example of this.

4. When Calvin Trillin describes the first time he sees Alice in chapter two, what does he say is the first thing that strikes him about her? Is it simply her attractiveness, or something else?

5. What are some of the adversities Alice faces throughout her life?

6. Does Alice believe she is accurately portrayed in Trillin's books and articles? Briefly describe why or why not.

7. In what ways are Alice's looks, coupled with the superficial facts about her background, misleading?

8. In chapter one, Calvin Trillin states that the stories he writes about his family can be compared what kinds of television shows?

9. According to Calvin Trillin, Alice's beauty gives her some advantages. Explain.

10. In chapter two, Calvin Trillin draws a parallel in the relationship between the novelist Dick Francis and his late wife Mary and Trillin's own marriage to Alice. Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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