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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Anna and Harold do "openly" as they performed according to paragraph 5?
(a) Laugh and flirt.
(b) Yell and argue.
(c) Sing and dance.
(d) Fumble and fall.

2. How many times does the narrator say she owes her existence to her mother?
(a) Dozens.
(b) 3.
(c) 2.
(d) 9.

3. Where does the narrator say the tabloids carried the story of their town's disaster?
(a) Boston and New York.
(b) Chicago and L.A.
(c) Cincinatti and New York.
(d) Boston and L.A.

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

5. What stands "cast in concrete" (para. 3) to commemorate the accident?
(a) A feather boa.
(b) A sequined costume.
(c) A statue of trapeze artists.
(d) A replica tent pole.

6. Who was the other half of her mother's act?
(a) Hank Allendale.
(b) Henry Allen.
(c) Herman Adams.
(d) Harold Avalon.

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

8. What did Harold and Anna use for part of their act?
(a) Colorful scarves.
(b) Strobe lights.
(c) Puppies.
(d) Blindfolds.

9. In paragraph 6, what does the narrator say her mother is able to live comfortably in?
(a) The spotlight.
(b) Extreme poverty.
(c) Their farmhouse.
(d) Extreme elements.

10. What is something the narrator says happens when she is in her room and gets a "whiff of smoke from the stove downstairs" (para.2)?
(a) She panics and cannot breath.
(b) She scurries to make sure her mother is okay.
(c) The stitches burn beneath her fingers.
(d) She knows her mother must be cooking something special.

11. 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) Lightning struck the main tent pole.
(c) Anna went into labor.
(d) A blizzard forced everyone to run for shelter.

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

13. What did the ringmaster do to introduce the Flying Avalons on the day of the disaster?
(a) He announced Anna and Harold to the crowd.
(b) He blew a horn and jumped up and down.
(c) He gave a little background on their love story.
(d) He cracked his whip and pointed to the ceiling.

14. What would Harold show the audience members during part of their act?
(a) Anna's smear of lipstick near his mouth.
(b) His blindfold.
(c) His wedding ring.
(d) A card trick.

15. What are some things the narrator says her mother has not kept from her youth?
(a) Sequined costumes or posters.
(b) Journals or news clippings.
(c) Old clothes and old friends.
(d) Essays or awards.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Harold and Anna do in midair during their act according to paragraph 5?

2. According to paragraph 4, during what month did Anna experience her disaster?

3. Who is the author of "The Leap"?

4. What detail about Anna does the narrator note was not mentioned in the newspaper accounts of the disaster?

5. What does the narrator point out in paragraph one about how her mother moves through the house?

(see the answer keys)

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