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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the narrator say he becomes afraid of as distance grows between the time spent with his lover and the present?
(a) Having to see her again.
(b) That his wife may find out.
(c) How weak he is.
(d) That he may never see her again.

2. How much was the plane ticket the narrator bought?
(a) $1,000.
(b) $950.
(c) $600.
(d) $150.

3. What is the narrator staring at at the start of "Break it Down"?
(a) A blank computer screen.
(b) A piece of paper.
(c) His cell phone.
(d) A cup of coffee.

4. What were the narrator and his lover doing in the "very clean white place" (24) he recalls?
(a) Getting massages.
(b) Having breakfast.
(c) Making love.
(d) Drinking martinis.

5. Who is the author of "Break It Down"?
(a) Danielle Lyons.
(b) Lynn Donahue.
(c) Leslie Daniels.
(d) Lydia Davis.

6. How did the narrator respond to the surprising question his lover asked him in bed one day?
(a) He said a diet would not hurt.
(b) He told her to stop asking silly questions.
(c) He said her body was beautiful.
(d) He said she should do whatever she wants.

7. What "keeps happening" (21) between the narrator and his lover while they are together all day, which he says "adds up" (21)?
(a) The misunderstandings.
(b) The deep discussions.
(c) The disagreements.
(d) The touches and smiles.

8. What colors does the narrator use to describe his lover's hair when he recalls her looking up at him from the newspaper she was reading?
(a) Golden, gray, red.
(b) Light brown, red, gold.
(c) Black, plum, dark brown.
(d) Dark brown, auburn, white.

9. Why does the narrator decide against kissing his lover's eyelids as he watches her sleep?
(a) She would get mad at him.
(b) She has bad breath.
(c) He is too tired.
(d) He does not want to disturb her.

10. Aside from the flight, what did the narrator pay for during his trip?
(a) Massages and tours.
(b) Hotel and food.
(c) A new suit and tie.
(d) Silk pajamas.

11. What is the narrator trying to do at the start of the story?
(a) Do his annual household budget.
(b) Negotiate a better salary.
(c) Break down the cost of an affair.
(d) Write his grocery list.

12. What is one of the "little questions" (25) the narrator began asking himself regarding his time with his lover?
(a) Why did she have the light on when he came to bed some nights and off others.
(b) Why did she touch his arm when he spoke sometimes but not others.
(c) Why did she become so distant over time.
(d) Why did she laugh at his jokes sometimes and not others.

13. What "old" (22) thing does the narrator say he cannot look at without still feeling what he feels his lover?
(a) Car or pair of pants.
(b) Restaurant or bookstore.
(c) Tree or rosebush.
(d) Street or painting.

14. How much does the narrator calculate his love making cost?
(a) $80-$100 an hour.
(b) $15 - 20 an hour.
(c) $3 or $4 an hour.
(d) $33-$50 an hour.

15. As time passes, the narrator says thoughts of his lover are more in his ______ than his ______?
(a) Imagination, soul.
(b) Dreams, reality.
(c) Heart, head.
(d) Mind, body.

Short Answer Questions

1. What question does the narrator recall his lover asking him while they were in bed one day?

2. What is the "very clean white place" (24) the narrator recalls being with his lover?

3. What does the narrator note about his lover as he looks at her in bed when he first wakes?

4. How many hours a day does the narrator estimate he spends either with his lover or thinking of her during their time together?

5. What does the narrator know will happen each day he spends with his lover?

(see the answer keys)

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