____ 2. Though the family’s home has never been broken into,
a. the father has been mugged
b. their fears of such an assault continue to grow
c. they become suspicious of their servants
d. they plan to move to a safer neighborhood

____ 3. The installation of alarm systems and bars on the windows
a. is too expensive for many people in the neighborhood to purchase
b. effectively deters potential burglars
c. has a calming effect on the neighborhood
d. does not seem sufficiently effective

____ 4. On walks through the increasingly barricaded neighborhood,
a. the parents no longer admire rosebushes but compare security devices
b. the family finds the streets blocked off
c. the little boy plays with neighboring children
d. the pet dog disappears

____ 5. To make their home safer, the parents finally
a. dig a cellar where the whole household can hide
b. hire a guard to patrol the property
c. install a coil of barbed wire on top of the security wall
d. buy a gun

____ 6. How does the tone of the story’s final paragraph differ from the tone of the rest of the story?
a. It does not resemble a fairy tale.
b. It is funnier than the rest of the story.
c. It is more fanciful than the rest of the story.
d. It is realistic and horrifying rather than amusing.

____ 7. “Once Upon a Time” is a commentary on
a. the inevitably terrible endings of fairy tales
b. the futility of security devices
c. the evils of apartheid in South Africa
d. the effectiveness of advertising

Extra Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selection "Once Upon a Time."

____ 8. What is a parody?
a. the imitation of an artistic work for entertainment or instruction
b. an apparent contradiction that is actually true
c. a short story that teaches a moral lesson
d. a series of related events that make up a story

____ 9. At the beginning of the story, the narrator says she learns she is neither to be “threatened nor spared.” What does she mean by this?
a. She is stuck in one place.
b. There is no intruder in her home.
c. Her life and work are without meaning.
d. There is no hope of escape.

____ 10. When she first describes the little boy and his family, the narrator indicates that they are
a. struggling to make ends meet    c. in imminent danger
b. happy, loving, and safe            d. too rich for their own good

____ 11. How do the married couple change the wall that surrounds their home?
a. They whitewash it.
b. They embed broken glass in the top of it.
c. They have razor-sharp coils of wire installed.
d. They tear it down.

____ 12. Why does the little boy crawl onto the wall?
a. He is trying to get out of the walled yard.
b. He is pretending he is a prince trying to enter a palace.
c. He is trying to get away from an intruder.
d. He is trying to rescue his cat.

Literary Element: Parody
The questions below refer to the selection "Once Upon a Time."

____ 13. The use of parody in this story
a. has a serious as well as a humorous quality
b. makes the story less troubling
c. ensures that the story will have a happy ending
d. interferes with the plot of the story

____ 14. The part of the selection that contains the first clue that it is a parody of fairy tales is the
a. title
b. illustrations
c. description of the burglar
d. description of the mysterious creaking in the room

Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selection "The Demon Lover."

____ 15. The mood of the story can best be described as
a. blissful    c. confusing
b. ominous    d. comic

____ 16. Kathleen marries someone else after
a. many men have proposed to her
b. she decides to break up with her fiancé
c. she has forgotten all about her fiancé
d. her fiancé has been reported missing and is presumed to be dead

____ 17. The fiancé is described as being
a. callous and cold           c. evil, brilliant, and heavyset
b. adoring and committed d. hysterical and nervous

____ 18. In response to the note she finds in the house, Mrs. Drover decides to
a. leave to avoid a confrontation with her former fiancé
b. confront her former fiancé when he arrives at the appointed hour
c. notify the police
d. seek shelter at a neighbor’s house

____ 19. Throughout the story, Mrs. Drover is
a. humming a tune
b. unimpressed by her former fiancé’s attempt to reunite them
c. thinking of her children
d. alone with her thoughts and feelings

____ 20. Which of the following statements best characterizes the plot of this story?
a. A married woman suddenly wonders what it would have been like to have married someone else.
b. An ordinary woman’s life becomes a nightmare with the sudden re-emergence of a supposedly dead suitor.
c. A woman runs into her former fiancé.
d. An older woman recalls her difficult youth.

____ 21. Of the following events, which happens last in the story?
a. Mrs. Drover finds a letter.
b. Mrs. Drover remembers her last encounter with the “demon lover.”
c. Mrs. Drover recognizes a taxi driver.
d. Mrs. Drover packs the items she needs.

Extra Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selection "The Demon Lover."

____ 22. In “The Demon Lover,” the line “Dead air came out to meet her as she went in” is an example of
a. personification   c. simile
b. symbolism          d. hyperbole

____ 23. Mrs. Drover’s attitude toward the unopened letter reveals her initial
a. curiosity       c. happiness
b. uneasiness     d. annoyance

____ 24. The mood of the flashback is
a. romantic       c. sinister
b. suspenseful  d. joyous

____ 25. Considering the contents of the letter, the description of Mrs. Drover’s “utter dependability” is best described as
a. ironic      c. humorous
b. accurate d. generous

____ 26. The ending of the story is best described as
a. anticlimactic   c. reassuring
b. amusing          d. terrifying

____ 27. Mrs. Drover goes to the house to
a. rest in solitude    c. meet her lover
b. get some things     d. air it out

____ 28. During Mrs. Drover’s former encounter with her lover, he left her with
a. a scar on her head    c. a mysterious letter
b. a romantic kiss        d. an engagement ring

____ 29. Mrs. Drover’s life seems to be very
a. chaotic c. calm
b. busy d. unusual

____ 30. The air in the house is described as
a. warm    c. smokey
b. musty   d. flowery

____ 31. An ironic twist occurs when Mrs. Drover
a. reads the letter c. marries Mr. Drover
b. remembers her youth d. gets into a taxi

Literary Element: Flashback
The questions below refer to the selection "The Demon Lover."

____ 32. Which of the following details about Mrs. Drover is not revealed in the story’s central flashback?
a. Her former fiancé was a soldier.
b. She was cut by a button on the soldier’s uniform.
c. Her fiancé was unwilling to wait for her until the war’s end.
d. Her family supported her after her fiancé was presumed dead.

____ 33. The use of flashbacks in this story
a. provides insight into the character of Mrs. Drover over twenty-five years
b. reveals important historical information about World War I
c. clearly lays out Mrs. Drover’s childhood
d. explains the demon lover’s motives for his pursuit of Mrs. Drover

Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selection "The Destructors."

____ 34. Of the following events, which one happens first in the story?
a. Mr. Thomas shows T. the interior of his house.
b. T. joins the Wormsley Common gang.
c. Blackie surrenders to the new leader.
d. Mr. Thomas gives the boys chocolates.

____ 35. Mr. Thomas’s house reflects the character of the postwar era because it
a. was used to house refugees during the war
b. is in a state of decline
c. is well maintained
d. has been repaired

____ 36. Which of the following statements describes one of T.’s attitudes?
a. He approves of stealing chocolates.
b. He values friendship based on mutual interests.
c. He relishes destruction because he wants revenge.
d. He does not hate Mr. Thomas.

____ 37. T.’s plea for help to finish the destruction of the house
a. is ridiculed by another boy in the gang
b. strikes the other boys in the gang as very professional
c. is ignored by Blackie
d. confirms T.’s absolute authority as leader

____ 38. Which of the following descriptions best describes T.?
a. He is personable.
b. He is always late to the gang’s meetings.
c. He is mysterious and determined.
d. He is talkative and funny.

____ 39. When the lorry driver realizes that the house has suddenly come down, he laughs because
a. he doesn’t like Mr. Thomas either
b. he is both surprised and impressed by this sudden event
c. he thinks Mr. Thomas looks funny wrapped in the blanket
d. he remembers doing such a thing when he was a boy

Extra Comprehension
The questions below refer to the selection "The Destructors."

____ 40. The main topic of the story involves
a. creation    c. devastation
b. rebirth     d. imagination

____ 41. Blackie’s leadership comes to an end because he lacks Trevor’s
a. daring ideas    c. imposing strength
b. sharp wit       d. winning personality

____ 42. At the beginning of the story, Mr. Thomas’s attitude toward the Wormsley Common Gang is best described as
a. cowardly fear     c. total disregard
b. gruff kindness    d. stern disapproval

____ 43. Trevor’s decision to wreck the house even though he recognizes its beauty is an example of
a. suspense      c. extended metaphor
b. flashback    d. irony

____ 44. The destructive actions of the Wormsley Common Gang are a symbol of
a. juvenile delinquency    c. the horrors of war
b. urban crime              d. parental neglect

____ 45. Mike is the gang’s
a. ring leader       c. youngest member
b. oldest member d. voice of reason

____ 46. Old Misery offers the boys
a. the use of his outhouse    c. chocolates
b. the use of his house        d. money

____ 47. T. says that he
a. hates Old Misery   c. feels nothing for Mr. Thomas
b. envies Old Misery d. cares deeply for Mr. Thomas

____ 48. T. is best described as
a. ruthless and cold          c. passionate and talkative
b. sad and resourceful     d. amusing and goofy

____ 49. Mr. Thomas’s house is finally felled by
a. a bomb      b. an earthquake       c. sledgehammers      d. a truck

Reading Skills and Strategies: Inferring Motives
The questions below refer to the selection "The Destructors."

____ 50. The opening paragraphs state that the gang’s newest member becomes its leader. Why would the gang allow this to happen?
a. New members automatically assume leadership positions.
b. Everyone in the gang is too young.
c. The addition of the new member has changed the dynamic of the gang.
d. The gang is breaking up.

____ 51. Which of the following events reveals that T. is a destructor?
a. He burns Mr. Thomas’s savings.
b. He orders that the loo be destroyed.
c. He rewires the house so that a fire will occur.
d. He orders the gang to paint graffiti on the house.

Literary Element: Setting
The question below refers to the selection "The Destructors."

____ 52. The setting of this story can best be described as
a. beautiful               c. dainty
b. spectacular           d. decaying

Matching

Vocabulary
On the line before each sentence, write the letter of the Word to Own that has a similar meaning to the italicized word or phrase in the sentence.

Words to Own
a. distend                    d. aesthetics
b. itinerant                e. serrated
c. audaciously

____ 53. A jagged edge often makes a ragged cut.

____ 54. Ingesting a heavy meal may cause one’s belly to stretch out.

____ 55. The traveling laborer was suspected of a crime he did not commit.

____ 56. A sense of the principles of beauty guides her life.

____ 57. Boldly, the boy entered the tunnel.

Vocabulary
Match the definition with the Word to Own from the list below. Write the letter of the Word to Own on the line provided.

Words to Own
a. prosaic                    f. stint
b. refracted                g. utter
c. assent                      h. emanated
d. intermittent             i. impassively
e. precipitately           j. aperture

____ 58. ordinary; dull

____ 59. acceptance

____ 60. limitation

____ 61. total

____ 62. opening

____ 63. calmly; indifferently

____ 64. flowed; came forth

____ 65. starting and stopping at intervals; periodic

____ 66. bent by its passage from one medium to another

____ 67. suddenly

Vocabulary
Match the definition with the Word to Own from the list below. Write the letter of the Word to Own on the line provided.

Words to Own
a. abstain                             f. altruistic
b. façades                            g. implacable
c. exhilaration                      h. surname
d. restive                             i. impromptu
e. shambles                           j. ignoble

____ 68. impatient; nervous

____ 69. unplanned

____ 70. shameful; degrading

____ 71. scene of great disorder

____ 72. inflexible; relentless; obstinate

____ 73. unselfish

____ 74. last name

____ 75. fronts of buildings

____ 76. excitement; high spirits

____ 77. refrain from; hold oneself back from