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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. In chapter three, who writes the article that accompanies the fashion spread in which Alice is featured?
(a) Alice Trillin.
(b) Nora Ephron.
(c) Mina Shaughnessy.
(d) Calvin.

2. Where does Alice attend college?
(a) City University of New York.
(b) New York University.
(c) Wellesley College.
(d) Hofstra University.

3. What is the headline for Alice's obituary in the Times?
(a) Educator, Author and Muse.
(b) Educator, Wife and Mother.
(c) Social Activist, Author and Muse.
(d) College Instructor, Mother and Wife.

4. Where does Calvin keep one of the photos of Alice from the article in chapter three?
(a) On his living room wall.
(b) On his desk.
(c) On his mantle.
(d) On his bedside table.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the theme of the poem at the introduction of chapter three?

2. According to Calvin, what kinds of men are attracted to Alice?

3. In chapter two, how does Calvin characterize his behavior during his second meeting with Alice?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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.

3. 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?

4. What does Alice keep in her Important Things envelope? Why are the things inside it so important to her?

5. Calvin Trillin states that from the day he meets Alice, he never stops trying to impress her. Why?

6. In what ways is Alice's beauty a hardship?

7. In chapter three, Calvin Trillin explains that Alice's role as caretaker to her parents has a positive impact on her life. How?

8. In chapter one, the reader learns that there is one condolence letter that makes Calvin Trillin laugh. Why?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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