Old Man with Enormous Wings Act Reading Passage

The inhabitants of the town in which the story takes place are mainly depicted as:

• A. proud and stubborn people who are always arguing about religion.

• B. somewhat shallow people who react to odd events with less surprise than one might expect.

• C. wise people who are always constructing elaborate theories about the universe.

• D. sympathetic people who see the value in extraordinary events

The neighbor woman believes that the angel is a(an):

• F. angel of death.

• G. angel of good fortune.

• H. warrior angel.

• J. angel who can predict the future.

What event in the story most enables the reader to infer that the angel can bring about miracles?

• A. A great storm brings water and crabs into Pelayo and Elisenda's home.

• B. The angel returns the spider woman to her original form.

• C. People from all over are willing to pay to see him.

• D. Soon after the angel arrives, the baby who is very sick with fever suddenly recovers.

The character of the angel can best be described as

• F. wise and loving.

• G. powerful but unforgiving.

• H. baffling and mysterious.

• J. pessimistic but helpful.

All of the following are reasons why people became more interested in the spider girl than they had been in the angel EXCEPT:

• A. it is more obvious what moral they are supposed to learn from her.

• B. she is more willing to interact with her audience.

• C. she has been officially approved by local religious authorities.

• D. it is less expensive to see her.

Which of the following phrases indicates that the appearance of the angel is regarded as a somewhat normal occurrence?

• F. They both looked at the fallen body with a mute stupor. (lines 10-11)

• G. The most unfortunate invalids on earth came in search of health. (lines 33-34)

• H. The angel was the only one who took no part in his own act. (lines 44-45)

• J. They built a two-story mansion with iron bars on the windows so that angels wouldn't get in. (lines 74-76)

The main point of the last paragraph is that after the departure of the angel, Elisenda feels:

• F. remorseful about how poorly the townspeople treated the angel.

• G. frightened about what the angel might do if he ever comes back.

• H. optimistic about the new lifestyle that was made possible for her by the angel.

• J. unburdened now that she doesn't have to worry about the angel anymore.

Which of the following is a key theme of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings?"

• People often overlook the wonderous parts of life.

• Nobody's perfect.

• Everything turns out the opposite of how you expect it to.

• Sometimes fairytales really are better than real life.

The story is widely accepted to be part of the magical realism genre where mystical, wildly imaginative details are blended with realistic conflicts and situations. Which of the following represents a realistic aspect of the story?

• An angel appeared and was disheveled and dirty
• A Portuguese man who couldn't sleep because of noise from the stars
• A society of people unite to mistreat a different individual
• An angel was branded with an iron

MAGICAL REALISM can be best defined as:

• A realistic setting is invaded by something “too strange to believe”
• A dreamlike state of mind that has many flashbacks
• Science and/or technology is the driving point of the narrative
• A setting consisting of a made-up world and mainly inhabited by fictional creatures that don't exist in the real world