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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What word does the narrator use on page 3 to describe the moments that John spends on the phone with Ede?
(a) Vivid.
(b) Bewildering.
(c) Amusing.
(d) Wondrous.

2. How old is John Andros?
(a) 48.
(b) 42.
(c) 38.
(d) 32.

3. What does John do to accommodate Edith's wishes?
(a) Stops to get Ede a sweater on his way to the party.
(b) Brings a camera to take pictures at the party.
(c) Stops to get a baby gift on his way home.
(d) Leaves work early so that he can get to the party before it ends.

4. What interrupts the argument between Joe and John?
(a) Billy and Ede beginning to play together happily.
(b) Edith bursting into tears.
(c) A party guest comes back to get her forgotten purse.
(d) Mrs. Markey going to fetch Edith's coat.

5. What word best describes the narrator's tone toward modern parenting practices?
(a) Concerned.
(b) Enthusiastic.
(c) Skeptical.
(d) Confused.

6. Besides "rude," what does Edith call Mrs. Markey on page 10?
(a) "Fat."
(b) "Fool."
(c) "Snippy."
(d) "Common."

7. What does the narrator mean by "even his feeling about his little girl was qualified" (3)?
(a) John's earlier battles with illness and poverty make him especially grateful for his child.
(b) John is aware that his daughter is spoiled, but he loves her anyway.
(c) John understands that fatherhood, like most things, is imperfect.
(d) John takes pride in making sure that his daughter has everything she needs.

8. How do the Androses know the Markeys?
(a) They are in the same bridge club.
(b) Joe and John work at the same firm.
(c) They are next-door neighbors.
(d) Joe and John went to college together.

9. What does Edith decide is true about John when he has not arrived by six o'clock?
(a) He has lost track of time at work.
(b) He has little pride in his own child.
(c) He shows no interest in the things that make Edith happy.
(d) He has forgotten all about her request.

10. In the passage that describes the babies trying to get into the kitchen, how does the narrator's diction create a comic effect?
(a) Through understatement.
(b) Through double entendre.
(c) Through parody.
(d) Through contrast.

11. When Joe angrily asks John if John thinks he is going to get away with the things he has just said, what does John do?
(a) Turns around to confront Joe again.
(b) Walks out the door.
(c) Laughs.
(d) Punches Joe in the face.

12. What terms does John use on page 4 as he wonders about Ede's party dress?
(a) "Bizarre and expensive."
(b) "Radical and mature."
(c) "Monstrous and vain."
(d) "Incomprehensible and frilly."

13. John enjoys hearing Ede's "non sequiturs" (3). What does this describe in his daughter's speech?
(a) Ideas that are more emotional than rational.
(b) Ideas that flow continuously without waiting for a response.
(c) Ideas that are more fantasy than reality.
(d) Ideas that have no logical connection.

14. What does Ede do right after Mrs. Markey says that she does not find the situation funny?
(a) Mimics Mrs. Markey.
(b) Shoves Billy to the floor.
(c) Throws the teddy bear at Billy.
(d) Laughs.

15. When Ede and Billy argue over the teddy bear, what is Joe Markey's initial response?
(a) He scolds Ede and embarrasses Edith.
(b) He teases his son for letting a girl get the better of him.
(c) He tells his wife that it is her job to handle the children.
(d) He laughs and tells Edith not to worry.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Mr. Markey go upstairs after the altercation between Billy and Ede?

2. What does Edith tell John she thought that he and Joe were going to do when she went back into the house?

3. What technique is used on page 3 when John's life is described as "a series of struggles up a series of rugged hills"?

4. What is comical about the fight between Joe and John?

5. What begins to happen after the children have their cake and ice cream?

(see the answer keys)

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