9. TAKE THE TEST - COPY & PASTE TO A WORD DOCUMENT, THEN PRINT, ANSWER, AND TURN IN YOUR TEST !!!!!

Name _____________________________
Date _____________________________

Ex-Basketball Player
by John Updike


Multiple Choice:

1. What record does Flick still hold?

a. school

b. state

c. county

d. city

2. What does Flick do as a gag?

a. plays pinball

b. flicks cigar butts

c. stands among the idiot pumps

d. dribbles an inner tube

3. According to the speaker, what is it that Flick never learned?

a. a trade

b. a dunk shot

c. a lesson

d. the fast break

4. Which of the following is not something that Flick does at his job?

a. washes cars

b. checks oil

c. changes tires

d. sells gas

5. What high school team did Flick play for?

a. the Wizards

b. the Wildcats

c. the Mustangs

d. the Wolves

6. Where does Flick Webb work?

a. Mae's luncheonette

b. Berth's Garage

c. Pearl Avenue Pizza

d. Colonel McComsky Plaza

7. What are "idiot pumps"?

a. rubber hoses

b. gas pumps

c. tire pumps

d. inner tubes

8. Which of the following does Flick not do in his spare time?

a. smoke thin cigars

b. flirt with Mae

c. drink lemon phosphates

d. play pinball


Short Answer Questions:

9. Describe the town where Flick lives. How does the town feel about heroes? Cite details from the poem in your description.



10. Discuss how Flick's life has changed since high school.



11. Write a character sketch of Flick. Cite details from the poem in your description.


12. What is the speaker's attitude towards Flick? Cite details from the poem to support your answer.



13. Does the poet present Flick more as a hero or a tragic figure? Cite details to support your answer.



14. Who is responsible for Flick's present situation? Cite details to support your answer.



Poetic Techniques Short Answer Questions:

15. Find an example of alliteration in the poem.
16. Explain how "tiers" in the final stanza could be a pun.
17. Find an example of a simile in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
18. Discuss how stanza three in the poem presents Flick in a different light. Why do you think the poet reveals that information in the middle stanza of the poem?
19. Find an example of enjambment in the poem.
20. Find an example of a metaphor in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
21. Find an example of personification in the poem.
22. Identify several examples of colloquial speech in the poem, and explain how this type of speech contributes to the voice of the speaker and the tone of the poem.