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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. To which American writer did Balakian send his poems while at Bucknell College?
(a) Allen Ginsberg.
(b) Robert Pirsig.
(c) Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
(d) Jack Kerouac.

2. What stock did grandmother recommend buying after she had a dream?
(a) NBC.
(b) IBM.
(c) GE.
(d) AT&T.

3. What California town was the Armenian-American writer William Saroyan from?
(a) San Francisco.
(b) Oakland.
(c) Lodi.
(d) Fresno.

4. What was the nickname of Arkayutiun, the soup Balakian ate while sick?
(a) Soup of the Soul.
(b) Soup of Life.
(c) Soup of Heaven.
(d) Soup of Love.

5. What food did Balakian's mother bring when she visited during the talk by Allen Ginsberg?
(a) Baklava.
(b) Kebabs.
(c) Lasagne.
(d) Stuffed grape leaves.

6. At what age did Aunt Nona begin institutional schooling?
(a) Sixteen.
(b) Fifteen.
(c) Fourteen.
(d) Twelve.

7. Why did Balakian not like the works of Anais Nin, who was friends with his aunt?
(a) He found her works too ironic.
(b) He found her works self-indulgent.
(c) He found her works too difficult to understand.
(d) He found her works too realistic.

8. In what year did Balakian first discover a love for poetry while in English class?
(a) 1967.
(b) 1966.
(c) 1968.
(d) 1969.

9. What degree was Balakian's girlfriend working on when he visited her, instead of going to his grandmother's memorial service?
(a) MBA.
(b) Medical degree.
(c) Philosophy.
(d) Law degree.

10. What Biblical figure were the Jewish boys arguing about during the baseball game in "An Armenian Jew in Suburbia"?
(a) Noah's wife.
(b) Abraham's wife.
(c) Moses' wife.
(d) Joshua's wife.

11. What does the phrase, "Mairig Asdvadzadzeen," mean?
(a) Holy Ghost.
(b) Son of God.
(c) Holy Spirit.
(d) Mother of God.

12. For what did Balakian win a trophy at the end of his first year at the private high school?
(a) Freshman athlete of the year.
(b) Most likely to succeed.
(c) Most popular freshman.
(d) English student of the year.

13. What did Aunt Nona major in while at Barnard?
(a) French.
(b) English.
(c) History.
(d) Economics.

14. In what part of Manhattan did Aunt Anna live?
(a) Morningside Heights.
(b) Upper West Side.
(c) Upper East Side.
(d) Soho.

15. What is the name of the yogurt, water, and mint drink commonly found at Balakian family gatherings?
(a) Bereks.
(b) Tourshi.
(c) Kadayif.
(d) Tahn.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is lokma?

2. How many months worth of canned evaporated milk were Americans advised to have on hand during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

3. Whom did Saroyan consider his "rival"?

4. What was the name of the poet with whom Balakian started his journal?

5. What instrument did Balakian's cousin Haigie play?

(see the answer keys)

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