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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 1: The Center of the Story.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What technique is used in the sentence: "The story is flat and even, just as the earth seems flat and even when a hurricane is advancing over it" (19)?
(a) Simile.
(b) Personification.
(c) Allusion.
(d) Allegory.

2. What does the hurricane do to the city in the woman's story?
(a) Causes flooding that disrupts transportation.
(b) Passes by without actually striking the city.
(c) Drops large hail that smashes windows in buildings and in cars.
(d) Produces winds that uproot trees and tear off several roofs.

3. Why does the main character find that the story she is working on is not an easy one to write?
(a) It is about fear.
(b) It is about death.
(c) It is about friendship.
(d) It is about religion.

4. What does the woman think might be preventing her from committing to a center for her story?
(a) Hope.
(b) Curiosity.
(c) Laziness.
(d) Fear.

5. What detail does the story give about the shape of the tape on the windows?
(a) It is shaped like asterisks.
(b) It is shaped like diamonds.
(c) It is shaped like crosses.
(d) It is shaped like the letter "x."

Short Answer Questions

1. On her train ride, what does the woman realize she has not given much thought to?

2. What detail in the description of the man indicates how ill he feels?

3. Who is with the landlady when the landlady is talking about the mayor?

4. What technique is used in the phrase "the stink of burning hair, fur, and horn" (19)?

5. What does the landlady say the mayor gave her?

(see the answer key)

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