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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The man tells the woman that he has committed "blasphemy" (20). What has he done?
(a) Shown disrespect to God.
(b) Told a harmful lie about someone.
(c) Cursed God's name.
(d) Contemplated suicide.

2. Why does the man in the story feel so ill?
(a) He has cancer.
(b) He has food poisoning.
(c) He has the flu.
(d) He is having a heart attack.

3. Who is the author of "The Center of the Story"?
(a) Lydia Davis.
(b) Maile Chapman.
(c) Judith Frank.
(d) Doris Betts.

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

5. 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) Allegory.
(b) Allusion.
(c) Personification.
(d) Simile.

6. Why was the woman reading the Bible during the period she writes about in her story?
(a) Because it was the High Holy Days.
(b) Because she wanted to use Biblical allusions in her writing.
(c) Because she needed comfort during the hurricane.
(d) Because she wanted to know exactly what it said.

7. For what reason, besides that "there may not be enough to tell about him," does the woman think that the man might not be the right "center" for her story (20)?
(a) The man will be angry that she wrote about him.
(b) There is no real resolution to his story.
(c) She is unclear about how she feels about the man.
(d) This might not be the right time to tell his story.

8. For the majority of the story, what tone does the narrator adopt?
(a) Melancholic.
(b) Amused.
(c) Dismissive.
(d) Objective.

9. In the story's opening sentence, what is implied about the main character's writing?
(a) Her readers are gradually deserting her.
(b) More than one of her stories is uninteresting.
(c) She is losing interest in her career.
(d) She does not deserve the praise she has gotten.

10. What does the narrator say "usually promises to be interesting" (19)?
(a) A hurricane.
(b) A death.
(c) A flood.
(d) A religious crisis.

11. What technique is used in the phrase "the stink of burning hair, fur, and horn" (19)?
(a) Onomatopoeia.
(b) Imagery.
(c) Assonance.
(d) Synesthesia.

12. What can be inferred about the woman from the description of the women who try to get her to sit down at their church?
(a) She is not Black.
(b) She is not a Christian.
(c) She is Jewish.
(d) She is White.

13. What does the landlady say the mayor gave her?
(a) An award.
(b) Carpet.
(c) Flowers.
(d) A stove.

14. Who is "thinking of writing a letter to the President" (20)?
(a) The main character.
(b) The landlady.
(c) The woman at the church.
(d) The man who thinks he is dying.

15. What is it logical to infer about the church women who are wearing red?
(a) They are worship leaders.
(b) They are the choir.
(c) They are ushers.
(d) They are collecting the offering.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what religion are the High Holy Days a sacred time?

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

3. After completing her first draft of the story, what does the woman realize about it?

4. What does the woman think might be preventing her from committing to a center for her story?

5. What detail in the description of the man's bedroom indicates how close the hurricane is getting?

(see the answer keys)

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