1. which of the following best describes the overall purpose of this passage?

a. to note the superstitions surrounding birth in the narrator's society
b. to describe the circumstances of the narrator's birth as well as offer hints about his family and his community
c. to emphasize that the narrator's family and neighbors were sea-going people
d. to foreshadow the narrator's unhappy adulthood

2. which of the following statements about the circumstances of the narrator's birth is not true?

f. the narrator was born on a friday.
g. the narrator was born at midnight.
h. superstition dictated that the narrator would be unlucky in life.
j. the narrator's father died shortly after his birth.

3. which of the following best describes the narrator's tone in this passage?

a. bleak and melancholy
b. matter-of-fact
c. ironic and satirical
d. extravagant and hyperbolic

4. how does the narrator feel about the prediction made at his birth that he would have the ability to see ghosts?

f. he does not address this issue in the excerpt, since it will presumably be the topic of the novel as a whole.
g. he finds the prediction deeply troubling.
h. he states that he has never seen a ghost and has no interest in ever seeing one.
j. he scoffs at the primitive superstition that connected his birth with the supernatural.

5. which of the following is the best definition for the word "posthumous" in line 67?

a. an event occurring after the death of its originator
b. orphanhood
c. morbid or unlucky
d. humorous or entertaining

6. what happens to the caul with which the narrator is born?

f. an old woman bought the caul.
g. the caul was advertised for sale, but was never sold.
h. the narrator's mother kept the caul for good luck.
j. the caul was sold to an attorney.

7. why does the old woman mentioned in the passage disapprove of sailing?

a. she is afraid of drowning.
b. her husband died at sea.
c. she disapproves of sailors' poor manners.
d. she disapproves of "meandering."

8. why does the author spend so much time discussing the anecdote of the old woman?

f. the anecdote sets a serious tone for the passage.
g. the description of the old woman gives the reader information about the kind of community the narrator lives in.
h. the old woman is the narrator's grandmother.
j. the anecdote showed how much the narrator hated the sea.

9. based on its context in the passage, which of the following is the best definition for the word "indignation" in line 56?

a. confusion or bewilderment
b. anger or annoyance
c. profound unhappiness
d. stubbornness

10. which of the following best describes the narrator's attitude toward his father?

f. uneasy
g. resentful
h. compassionate
j. indifferent