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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When the narrator unbuttons the second button on Gin's shirt, what does he see?
(a) A bruise.
(b) A scar.
(c) Her camisole.
(d) Her cross.

2. While he is on the beach, what does the narrator imagine the couples in the high-rises around them are wearing?
(a) Business suits.
(b) Monogrammed pajamas.
(c) Cocktail attire.
(d) Spa robes.

3. What does Gin believe is true about the dead woman on the beach?
(a) She was an omen.
(b) Gin and the narrator could have saved her.
(c) She was sent by God.
(d) Her death was accidental.

4. Why does Gin tell the narrator "Stop" when they are just about to have sex (236)?
(a) She sees something in the water.
(b) The narrator's condom has fallen off.
(c) She sees the police lights.
(d) She has changed her mind about having sex.

5. Why does the narrator say that Lake Michigan "became" the Pacific Ocean (235)?
(a) He is experiencing a feeling of being lost in space and time.
(b) He is referencing the film From Here to Eternity.
(c) The sound of the waves is exaggerated by his excitement.
(d) Gin has always imagined losing her virginity on a California beach.

6. What characteristic of the area around the beach is conveyed with its nickname, the "Gold Coast"?
(a) It is beautiful.
(b) It is similar to the Mediterranean.
(c) It is full of opportunity.
(d) It is expensive.

7. In Gin's dream about the beach, why has the narrator left her alone?
(a) After they have sex, he loses interest in her.
(b) He is trying to help find a lost child.
(c) They have had a big fight.
(d) He has gone to get some mustard.

8. What detail on page 233 reveals that some time has passed since the events of the story took place?
(a) Gin saying that she feels "like Doris Day" is watching her.
(b) The "now defunct Clark Theater."
(c) The "lilac bushes in Marquette Park."
(d) The characters visiting "Oak Street Beach."

9. In the story's opening, what details are related to the characters' social circumstances?
(a) Light and darkness.
(b) Grass, leaves, and snow.
(c) Gin's bed and their parents' cars.
(d) The condition of the Rambler and the rosary.

10. What is the title of the poem used as an epigraph for this story?
(a) "In Darkness and in Light."
(b) "Water."
(c) "The Mirror."
(d) "We Did It."

11. Who is the author of "We Didn't"?
(a) Stuart Dybek.
(b) Yehuda Amichai.
(c) Perry Katzek.
(d) Vincent Kowalski.

12. In the light from the squad cars and flashlights, what does the narrator see on the beach as the other couples are running away?
(a) The condom.
(b) A dead body.
(c) Garbage.
(d) Dead fish.

13. To what does the narrator compare the other lovers on the beach?
(a) Sleeping dolls.
(b) Crash-test dummies.
(c) Abandoned mannequins.
(d) Fallen soldiers.

14. Who asks the narrator and Gin questions as they try to leave the beach?
(a) The ambulance attendant.
(b) The police officer with the crew cut.
(c) The police officer with a beer belly.
(d) Curious onlookers.

15. In the story's opening, what details are related to the characters' youth?
(a) The condition of the Rambler and the rosary.
(b) Gin's bed and their parents' cars.
(c) Grass, leaves, and snow.
(d) Light and darkness.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of blanket does Gin bring to the beach?

2. What is the detail about how long the narrator has been carrying a condom in his pocket meant to convey?

3. From the context of page 234, what "apocalypse" is the allusion to the Four Horsemen referring to?

4. Which detail of the narrator's description of their kisses indicates the passage of time?

5. What does Gin tell the narrator she is afraid of when they are lying on the beach together?

(see the answer keys)

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