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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does the narrator say he felt he had to tell his lover that he loved her?
(a) He thought it would make her stay.
(b) He wanted to scare her away.
(c) It was bursting inside him.
(d) He was drunk.

2. Why does the narrator think he could not let himself fall completely in love with his lover?
(a) He was not over his last relationship.
(b) He was afraid of commitment.
(c) He knew the affair was going to be so short.
(d) He did not fully trust her.

3. The narrator describes staring at the impending pain from an affair in a window and saying what?
(a) "I'll take it."
(b) "I'll borrow it for just a moment."
(c) "Nothing, just walking away."
(d) "Can I return it if I don't like it."

4. How did the narrator's lover respond when he told her he loved her?
(a) She was quiet.
(b) She shook her head and got up.
(c) She said she loved him too.
(d) She said she did not feel the same way.

5. As the narrator was leaving they stood close together looking at what?
(a) The gift she had just given him.
(b) The bed.
(c) A piece of paper she held in her hand.
(d) The door.

6. What were the narrator and his lover doing when he first told her he loved her?
(a) Having a drink.
(b) Taking a evening stroll.
(c) Making love.
(d) Packing their things to go home.

7. What does the narrator say he sometimes feels like when he thinks of his affair?
(a) A prince.
(b) A jerk.
(c) A casanova.
(d) A loser.

8. What does the narrator say is all that is left of the relationship after the pictures and questions go away?
(a) A vast emptiness.
(b) A large heavy pain.
(c) An ocean of regret.
(d) A huge open space.

9. What was the narrator unable to tell his lover before he told her he loved her?
(a) She did not have to feel it was a burden.
(b) He had never loved anyone before her.
(c) He hoped it did not scare her away.
(d) He really hoped she felt the same.

10. How was the narrator beginning to feel the day he had to leave?
(a) Empty.
(b) Enraged.
(c) Energetic.
(d) Excited.

11. What "comes after [the affair] and lasts longer" (30), according to the narrator?
(a) The joy.
(b) The peace.
(c) The regret.
(d) The pain.

12. What sounds does the narrator say may remind him of his lover?
(a) A snake hissing.
(b) A woman laughing.
(c) A child singing.
(d) A cat or baby crying.

13. If the narrator calculates the time spent thinking of his lover up to six weeks after the affair, how much does he figure he has spent?
(a) $24 an hour.
(b) $3 an hour.
(c) $60 an hour.
(d) $6 an hour.

14. What does the narrator do to try to ease some of the feelings leftover from the affair?
(a) Go out with friends.
(b) Take a class.
(c) Visit family.
(d) Go to public places to be around people.

15. What do the "little questions" (26) the narrator begins to ask himself begin to do to him, as described in the text?
(a) Confuse him.
(b) Make him see the affair for what it was.
(c) Nag at him.
(d) Eat away at him.

Short Answer Questions

1. The narrator questions at the end, "How can you go in with...$1000, and...come out with" (30) what?

2. What does the narrator do to try to numb the feelings after his affair?

3. What does the narrator worry he did to his lover by telling her he loved her?

4. What does the narrator think may have been the only bad time with his lover?

5. How often does the narrator figure he thinks of his lover about six weeks after their affair?

(see the answer keys)

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