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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Paragraphs 1 - 8 .

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What phrase is used to describe the narrator's mother's movements in paragraph 2?
(a) Graceless fumbling.
(b) Stealthlike manner.
(c) Catlike precision.
(d) Like a bull in a china shop.

2. In paragraph 2, what does the narrator say she sometimes thinks her mother has no memory of from her youth?
(a) Devouring books and writing poetry.
(b) Double somersaults and heart-stopping catches.
(c) School dances and young love.
(d) Cramming for tests and getting good grades.

3. What happened during Harold and Anna's act just before they were able to clasp hands in midair?
(a) A strong wind blew the tent away.
(b) Anna went into labor.
(c) Lightning struck the main tent pole.
(d) A blizzard forced everyone to run for shelter.

4. What is the narrator's mother's name?
(a) Agnes.
(b) Anna.
(c) Abbeth.
(d) Alice.

5. What condition does the narrator's mother have as explained in paragraph 1?
(a) She has dementia.
(b) She is paralyzed.
(c) She is deaf.
(d) She is blind.

Short Answer Questions

1. In paragraph 6, what does the narrator say her mother is able to live comfortably in?

2. What did the ringmaster do to introduce the Flying Avalons on the day of the disaster?

3. How many times does the narrator say she owes her existence to her mother?

4. What stands "cast in concrete" (para. 3) to commemorate the accident?

5. What metaphor is used in paragraph 5 to describe the way Anna and Harold would drop through the air during their act?

(see the answer key)

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