Post by ernesto thaddeus m. solmerano on Dec 13, 2007 6:38:57 GMT -5
Short Story Analysis Test
Direction: Read the short stories carefully then answer the questions that follow.
FARTED
By Ray Halliday
I was in the Bone Cafe in Harvard Square, where I eat a muffin and a coffee every morning for breakfast. The place is pretty clean, but I put up with it because I like watching all the people, especially the girls, walk by. Every morning I eat my muffin and coffee by myself and watch people.
Today I was over near the door, watching, eating - there was a pretty Indian girl who was nervous because I kept staring. There was a nervous guy waiting for a date. He was real obvious about it. He walked all around the Bone Cafe craning his neck, around and around and walked outside of the Bone Cafe and over to the T stop and then back, craning his neck. There was also a sort of couple sitting in front of me.
And I was sort of watching, sort of listening, and I figured they hadn't known each other for very long. They were both being real polite about how they were eating their croissants, and wiping their mouths a lot, and if they had to cough or sniff they did it real timidly. They were getting to know each other and saying things like: "So what year are you?" and "Where did you grow up?" and then they would just nod very quietly when there were holes in the conversation.
And I farted. Not for any mean reason, just because I had to. And it came up around me for a second and it was pretty stinky, maybe the stinkiest in the world. Anyway, I could tell by the way the wind was blowing that the fart was headed their way - that it was going to swarm around them for a while, stay there for a little bit before it moved on or disappeared. And I knew what was happening too. I knew that he was sitting there going - Oh, God, who farted? Oh, God, what if she thinks I farted? And she was thinking - Holy cow, I hope that wasn't him, and Oh, God, what if he thinks that's me? But no matter what, I knew that, forever, they would associate each other with that fart, possibly the stinkiest.
I had been feeling kind of down, insignificant. But after I farted, I felt a little better.
1. The point of view used in "Farted" is:
a. first person
b. second person
c. third person limited
d. third person omniscient
2. With respect to point of view, the story is presented mainly through the eyes and consciousness of:
a. the husband
b. the wife
c. the author as a participant narrator
d. nobody in particular
3. The time setting is:
a. primitive
b. medieval
c. present age
d. futuristic
4. The locale of the story is in:
a. a coffee shop
b. a sport's arena
c. an accounting office
d. a tram
5. The economic status of the narrator in the story is:
a. rich
b. upper middle class
c. middle class
d. none of the above
6. The tone of this story may be described as:
a. ironic
b. sarcastic
c. serious
d. humorous, comic
7. The element of fiction that was used in the first paragraph of the text is:
a. foreshadowing
b. irony
c. symbol
d. style
8. The narrator, almost entirely in the story, is portrayed as being:
a. carefree
b. snotty
c. depressed, gloomy
d. friendly, sociable
9. At the end of the story, he becomes:
a. slightly fine
b. indecent, offensive
c. guilty
d. sullen, downhearted
10. The external conflict in the story is that between:
a. the narrator vs. the couple
b. the narrator vs. the pretty Indian girl
c. the narrator vs. the nervous guy
d. all of the above
11. Is there any internal conflict in the story:
a. yes
b. no
c. perhaps
d. none of the above
12. The narrator in the story is a _____________ character:
a. flat
b. type
c. static
d. round
13. The couple in the story is an example of:
a. flat
b. type
c. dynamic
d. round
14. The nervous guy in the story is a:
a. flat character
b. type character
c. dynamic character
d. round character
15. The title of the story "Farted":
a. has no significance in the story whatsoever
b. is symbolic
c. is ironic
d. is used for ornamentation and vivid effect only
16. Which of the following is not a feature of this story:
a. no climax
b. no internal conflict
c. loose plot construction
d. no central character
17. The change in the narrator's condition, from being down or feeling blue then feeling a little bit better after he farted is the ___________ of this story:
a. plot
b. complication
c. movement
d. pace
18. Does this story have unity of time?
a. yes
b. no
c. perhaps
d. not mentioned in the story
19. The theme of the story is:
a. the contrast between reality and pretense
b. "To thine own self be true!"
c. the state of marital relationship
d. all of the above
20. The essential value of the story, as art, is that it:
a. conveys a moral
b. reveals something about the human nature
c. gives aesthetic pleasure
d. all of the above
MOTHER
By Dan Leone
I'm sick of hearing about broken hearts and shattered dreams. From now on, I want to see broken arms and shattered kneecaps before I lend anyone my shoulder. You want real pain? Have a baby. Mine came out sideways, my daughter. I made like she was an angel and she grew up and called me an asshole - but that doesn't hurt. What hurts is her pounding out of you like a tractor.
My first husband stabbed me in the stomach. My second husband shot me in the foot and set the house on fire. Believe me, it doesn't hurt one bit that this is what love has come to for you. What hurts is the hole in your skin. That hole has big-league pain inside it, and my daughter's never felt that. She's twenty-something and never had a baby. She's never been shot, stabbed, or burned in a fire.
So what was she carrying on about when I went to see her yesterday?
"What's the matter, honey?" I said.
She was sitting on her bed, wearing just a big brown towel, and she was looking up at me all wet in the face and shrugging her shoulders. The girl's got a nice apartment and a good job. Her boyfriend's studying to be a doctor.
"What is it? I said.
"I don't know, Ma," she said.
"It's nothing. I'm just confused, that's all."
"My God," I said, "what's confusing you?"
She shook her head. Then she started crying again.
"Are you sick?" I said.
"Did he punch you?"
I sat down on the bed and she slapped her arms around me and sobbed on my shoulder.
"There, there," I said.
I wanted to help, believe me, but what can you do? And her hair was making my face itch. You've got to understand about this girl, she has beautiful hair. She has everything going for her. The boy, the job, the apartment. Like I said, she's smart and beautiful. I'll tell you what, look at my daughter and you'd never guess she's had anything to do with me, or vice versa. Of course, her father was good-looking, too. But now he's dead. My first husband killed him. Then he stabbed me in the stomach, trying to kill the baby.
But that's where she got her looks - from a dead guy I screwed around with. And ever since my second husband got put away, it's been pretty smooth sailing for the girl. Birthdays and Christmas trees. She has a lot of friends.
That's why I don't understand.
"Did that son-of-a-bitch hit you?" I said.
"Ma, he's the nicest guy in the world," she said.
"He doesn't hit me. He wants to marry me."
She showed me the beautiful ring he got her. It was beautiful. I didn't say anything. I just sat there and held her and let her cry.
"I love him, Ma. But I'm so mixed up."
She cried and cried.
I just held on to her, opened up my mouth around the top of her arm, and bit down as hard as I could. She started screaming and tried to pull away, but I had her all wrapped up, spider-style. I clamped down with my teeth until I felt blood coming out at the corner of my mouth.
This is it, I said to her in my head. I mean, welcome to the world, you know what I mean?
21. The point of view used in "Mother" is:
a. first person
b. second person
c. third person limited
d. third person omniscient
22. With respect to point of view, the story is presented mainly through the eyes and consciousness of:
a. the mother
b. the girl
c. the author as an objective narrator
d. nobody in particular
23. The time setting is:
a. primitive
b. medieval
c. present modern age
d. futuristic
24. The economic status of the daughter in the story is:
a. rich
b. upper middle class
c. middle class
d. poor
25. The tone of this story may be described as:
a. sad
b. pessimistic
c. serious
d. comic, ironic
26. The element of fiction that was used in the first paragraph of the text is:
a. foreshadowing
b. irony
c. symbol
d. style
27. The mother, at the first half of the story, is portrayed as being:
a. carefree, untroubled
b. concerned, protective
c. trusting, naive
d. stoic, indifferent
28. In the last half of the story, the mother becomes:
a. aggressive
b. stoic, indifferent
c. lunatic
d. irritable
29. The external conflict in the story is that between:
a. the mother vs. the daughter
b. the girl vs. her boyfriend
c. the mother vs. her first husband
d. the mother vs. her lover
30. At stake in this conflict is:
a. the mother's reputation
b. the girl's life and future
c. the girl's marriage to her fiancé
d. their relationship
31. Is there any internal conflict in the story:
a. yes
b. no
c. perhaps
d. not mentioned in the story
32. The mother in the story is a __________ character:
a. flat
b. type
c. dynamic
d. round
33. The daughter in the story is an example of:
a. a flat character
b. a type character
c. a dynamic character
d. a round character
34. The element of fiction that was used when the mother recalled the girl's real father is a:
a. flashback
b. symbol
c. foreshadowing
d. movement
35. The title of the story "Mother":
a. has no significance in the story whatsoever
b. is symbolic
c. is ironic
d. is used for ornamentation and vivid effect only
36. Which of the following is not a feature of this story:
a. no climax
b. no internal conflict
c. no central character
d. loose plot construction
37. The change in the mother's nature or attitude, from being friendly and caring to being offensive or aggressive, is the ___________ of this story:
a. conflict
b. complication
c. movement
d. style
38. Does this story have unity of time?
a. yes
b. no
c. perhaps
d. none of the above
39. The theme of the story is the depiction of:
a. the battle between illusion and reality
b. the harsh realities of life
c. motherly love and protection
d. all of the above
40. The essential value of the story, as art, is that it:
a. conveys a moral
b. reveals something about the human nature
c. gives aesthetic pleasure
d. all of the above
Direction: Read the short stories carefully then answer the questions that follow.
FARTED
By Ray Halliday
I was in the Bone Cafe in Harvard Square, where I eat a muffin and a coffee every morning for breakfast. The place is pretty clean, but I put up with it because I like watching all the people, especially the girls, walk by. Every morning I eat my muffin and coffee by myself and watch people.
Today I was over near the door, watching, eating - there was a pretty Indian girl who was nervous because I kept staring. There was a nervous guy waiting for a date. He was real obvious about it. He walked all around the Bone Cafe craning his neck, around and around and walked outside of the Bone Cafe and over to the T stop and then back, craning his neck. There was also a sort of couple sitting in front of me.
And I was sort of watching, sort of listening, and I figured they hadn't known each other for very long. They were both being real polite about how they were eating their croissants, and wiping their mouths a lot, and if they had to cough or sniff they did it real timidly. They were getting to know each other and saying things like: "So what year are you?" and "Where did you grow up?" and then they would just nod very quietly when there were holes in the conversation.
And I farted. Not for any mean reason, just because I had to. And it came up around me for a second and it was pretty stinky, maybe the stinkiest in the world. Anyway, I could tell by the way the wind was blowing that the fart was headed their way - that it was going to swarm around them for a while, stay there for a little bit before it moved on or disappeared. And I knew what was happening too. I knew that he was sitting there going - Oh, God, who farted? Oh, God, what if she thinks I farted? And she was thinking - Holy cow, I hope that wasn't him, and Oh, God, what if he thinks that's me? But no matter what, I knew that, forever, they would associate each other with that fart, possibly the stinkiest.
I had been feeling kind of down, insignificant. But after I farted, I felt a little better.
1. The point of view used in "Farted" is:
a. first person
b. second person
c. third person limited
d. third person omniscient
2. With respect to point of view, the story is presented mainly through the eyes and consciousness of:
a. the husband
b. the wife
c. the author as a participant narrator
d. nobody in particular
3. The time setting is:
a. primitive
b. medieval
c. present age
d. futuristic
4. The locale of the story is in:
a. a coffee shop
b. a sport's arena
c. an accounting office
d. a tram
5. The economic status of the narrator in the story is:
a. rich
b. upper middle class
c. middle class
d. none of the above
6. The tone of this story may be described as:
a. ironic
b. sarcastic
c. serious
d. humorous, comic
7. The element of fiction that was used in the first paragraph of the text is:
a. foreshadowing
b. irony
c. symbol
d. style
8. The narrator, almost entirely in the story, is portrayed as being:
a. carefree
b. snotty
c. depressed, gloomy
d. friendly, sociable
9. At the end of the story, he becomes:
a. slightly fine
b. indecent, offensive
c. guilty
d. sullen, downhearted
10. The external conflict in the story is that between:
a. the narrator vs. the couple
b. the narrator vs. the pretty Indian girl
c. the narrator vs. the nervous guy
d. all of the above
11. Is there any internal conflict in the story:
a. yes
b. no
c. perhaps
d. none of the above
12. The narrator in the story is a _____________ character:
a. flat
b. type
c. static
d. round
13. The couple in the story is an example of:
a. flat
b. type
c. dynamic
d. round
14. The nervous guy in the story is a:
a. flat character
b. type character
c. dynamic character
d. round character
15. The title of the story "Farted":
a. has no significance in the story whatsoever
b. is symbolic
c. is ironic
d. is used for ornamentation and vivid effect only
16. Which of the following is not a feature of this story:
a. no climax
b. no internal conflict
c. loose plot construction
d. no central character
17. The change in the narrator's condition, from being down or feeling blue then feeling a little bit better after he farted is the ___________ of this story:
a. plot
b. complication
c. movement
d. pace
18. Does this story have unity of time?
a. yes
b. no
c. perhaps
d. not mentioned in the story
19. The theme of the story is:
a. the contrast between reality and pretense
b. "To thine own self be true!"
c. the state of marital relationship
d. all of the above
20. The essential value of the story, as art, is that it:
a. conveys a moral
b. reveals something about the human nature
c. gives aesthetic pleasure
d. all of the above
MOTHER
By Dan Leone
I'm sick of hearing about broken hearts and shattered dreams. From now on, I want to see broken arms and shattered kneecaps before I lend anyone my shoulder. You want real pain? Have a baby. Mine came out sideways, my daughter. I made like she was an angel and she grew up and called me an asshole - but that doesn't hurt. What hurts is her pounding out of you like a tractor.
My first husband stabbed me in the stomach. My second husband shot me in the foot and set the house on fire. Believe me, it doesn't hurt one bit that this is what love has come to for you. What hurts is the hole in your skin. That hole has big-league pain inside it, and my daughter's never felt that. She's twenty-something and never had a baby. She's never been shot, stabbed, or burned in a fire.
So what was she carrying on about when I went to see her yesterday?
"What's the matter, honey?" I said.
She was sitting on her bed, wearing just a big brown towel, and she was looking up at me all wet in the face and shrugging her shoulders. The girl's got a nice apartment and a good job. Her boyfriend's studying to be a doctor.
"What is it? I said.
"I don't know, Ma," she said.
"It's nothing. I'm just confused, that's all."
"My God," I said, "what's confusing you?"
She shook her head. Then she started crying again.
"Are you sick?" I said.
"Did he punch you?"
I sat down on the bed and she slapped her arms around me and sobbed on my shoulder.
"There, there," I said.
I wanted to help, believe me, but what can you do? And her hair was making my face itch. You've got to understand about this girl, she has beautiful hair. She has everything going for her. The boy, the job, the apartment. Like I said, she's smart and beautiful. I'll tell you what, look at my daughter and you'd never guess she's had anything to do with me, or vice versa. Of course, her father was good-looking, too. But now he's dead. My first husband killed him. Then he stabbed me in the stomach, trying to kill the baby.
But that's where she got her looks - from a dead guy I screwed around with. And ever since my second husband got put away, it's been pretty smooth sailing for the girl. Birthdays and Christmas trees. She has a lot of friends.
That's why I don't understand.
"Did that son-of-a-bitch hit you?" I said.
"Ma, he's the nicest guy in the world," she said.
"He doesn't hit me. He wants to marry me."
She showed me the beautiful ring he got her. It was beautiful. I didn't say anything. I just sat there and held her and let her cry.
"I love him, Ma. But I'm so mixed up."
She cried and cried.
I just held on to her, opened up my mouth around the top of her arm, and bit down as hard as I could. She started screaming and tried to pull away, but I had her all wrapped up, spider-style. I clamped down with my teeth until I felt blood coming out at the corner of my mouth.
This is it, I said to her in my head. I mean, welcome to the world, you know what I mean?
21. The point of view used in "Mother" is:
a. first person
b. second person
c. third person limited
d. third person omniscient
22. With respect to point of view, the story is presented mainly through the eyes and consciousness of:
a. the mother
b. the girl
c. the author as an objective narrator
d. nobody in particular
23. The time setting is:
a. primitive
b. medieval
c. present modern age
d. futuristic
24. The economic status of the daughter in the story is:
a. rich
b. upper middle class
c. middle class
d. poor
25. The tone of this story may be described as:
a. sad
b. pessimistic
c. serious
d. comic, ironic
26. The element of fiction that was used in the first paragraph of the text is:
a. foreshadowing
b. irony
c. symbol
d. style
27. The mother, at the first half of the story, is portrayed as being:
a. carefree, untroubled
b. concerned, protective
c. trusting, naive
d. stoic, indifferent
28. In the last half of the story, the mother becomes:
a. aggressive
b. stoic, indifferent
c. lunatic
d. irritable
29. The external conflict in the story is that between:
a. the mother vs. the daughter
b. the girl vs. her boyfriend
c. the mother vs. her first husband
d. the mother vs. her lover
30. At stake in this conflict is:
a. the mother's reputation
b. the girl's life and future
c. the girl's marriage to her fiancé
d. their relationship
31. Is there any internal conflict in the story:
a. yes
b. no
c. perhaps
d. not mentioned in the story
32. The mother in the story is a __________ character:
a. flat
b. type
c. dynamic
d. round
33. The daughter in the story is an example of:
a. a flat character
b. a type character
c. a dynamic character
d. a round character
34. The element of fiction that was used when the mother recalled the girl's real father is a:
a. flashback
b. symbol
c. foreshadowing
d. movement
35. The title of the story "Mother":
a. has no significance in the story whatsoever
b. is symbolic
c. is ironic
d. is used for ornamentation and vivid effect only
36. Which of the following is not a feature of this story:
a. no climax
b. no internal conflict
c. no central character
d. loose plot construction
37. The change in the mother's nature or attitude, from being friendly and caring to being offensive or aggressive, is the ___________ of this story:
a. conflict
b. complication
c. movement
d. style
38. Does this story have unity of time?
a. yes
b. no
c. perhaps
d. none of the above
39. The theme of the story is the depiction of:
a. the battle between illusion and reality
b. the harsh realities of life
c. motherly love and protection
d. all of the above
40. The essential value of the story, as art, is that it:
a. conveys a moral
b. reveals something about the human nature
c. gives aesthetic pleasure
d. all of the above