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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. How does the author suggest meeting in a bowling alley is a good metaphor for Micheal's relationship with Gina?
(a) It is a place where happiness is inevitable.
(b) It is a soundtrack of collision.
(c) It is a dangerous and moody place.
(d) It is one of their favorite places.

2. To whom does Irma say a lone tea cup she displays in her living room belonged?
(a) Her husband.
(b) Her son, Saul.
(c) Her cousin.
(d) Her daughter, Lucie.

3. What gift does Striker find himself receiving most holidays while working at Aloha Lanes?
(a) Leis.
(b) Tikis.
(c) Hawaiian shirts.
(d) Fruity drinks.

4. What bird does Gina remind Michael of in the picture he took at the bowling alley in chapter 19?
(a) An eagle.
(b) A stork.
(c) A mockingbird.
(d) A swan.

5. Who is Rudy Hahn?
(a) The manager of the Safeway.
(b) The manager of Aloha Lanes.
(c) The manager of the city bus line.
(d) The manager of the YMCA.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is unique about the group of women Striker sees in the bowling alley in chapter 20?

2. What illness does Rudy claim to have in chapter 20?

3. What item does the character in chapter 18 have in his backpack wrapped in bubble wrap?

4. Why does Michael stop sending postcards to Maureen to let her know where he was in chapter 19?

5. How did Irma meet her current husband?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the beginning of Part Two, how does the narration change?

2. Who is M.J. Striker and why has he come to work at the Aloha Lanes bowling alley in chapter 20?

3. What is Yeats and what does it stand for in Striker's life?

4. What character seems to tell Striker how he can pull Irma out of her depression in chapter 21?

5. What story does Irma Kosminsky tell Striker over dinner in chapter 21?

6. How does Wanda's knowledge of her parents' relationship compare with what Striker has revealed to the reader in part two of the novel?

7. What symbolic item is mentioned in chapter 18 that is related to a similar item symbolically important to Wanda Schultz?

8. How do the Hawaiian shirts becomes something of a symbol between Striker and Irma in chapter 21?

9. How does the author draw parallels between Striker and Irma concerning their painful pasts?

10. What odd behaviors on the part of Gina Lorenzini does Michael O'Casey overlook due to his amorous feelings for her?

(see the answer keys)

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