Name_____________________________________Date____________Class________
“Nothing to Worry About” by Jim Bishop
Instructions: First, please read the accompanying short story. Then, answer the
questions.
1. On line 16, the narrator refers to Bob’s wife, Ymelda, as “Nervous Mel,” this is
an example of what literary term?
a. anaphora
b. epithet
c. metaphor
d. indirect characterization
2. Which of the following serves as the best example for diction? (Be sure to reread the context of the sentence.)
a. the word “old-fashioned” on line 4
b. the word “bungalow” on line 28
c. the word “speedometer” on line 44
d. the word “cannibalized” on line 26
3. Two examples of similes can be found in the________.
a. 1st paragraph (beginning “The hills…”)
b. 3rd paragraph (beginning “This made Bob…”)
c. 6th paragraph (beginning “Both had hobs.”)
d. 9th paragraph (beginning “What a woman…”)
Please list the two similes:
1.______________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
4. True or False
_________This author of this story does not use rhetorical questioning as a literary
device.
5. Which paragraph has the best example of a case where the author uses syntax to
help the reader understand the written message better and create a certain mood?
a. 2nd paragraph (beginning “Bob ordered…”)
b. 6th paragraph (beginning “Both had jobs.”)
c. 11th paragraph (beginning “Bob knew, the moment…”)
d. 13th paragraph (beginning “The old car…”)
6. Ymelda, Bob’s wife, is characterized as a nervous person. She also doesn’t like
her husband to drink and drive, because it would impair his judgment. In light of
the story’s ending, what can we consider this characterization to be an example
of?
a. situational irony
b. symbolism
c. epithet
d. metaphor
7. An example of alliteration can be found on line______.
a. 5
b. 9
c. 17
d. 35
8. Which of the following items does the author use to symbolize Bob’s
overconfidence?
a. Mickey
b. his house
c. mints
d. traffic lights
9. Which of the following lines uses repetition?
a. line 60
b. lines 35-36
c. line 15
d. all of the above
10. The metaphor on line 17 is ironic, because __________.
a. it also contains alliteration.
b. an engine does not roar.
c. it describes how Bob feels about his car.
d. of the death of his son, Mickey.
11. On line 34, the narrator explains how Bob “was richer than a Rockefeller.” This
quote from the text actually serves as two literary devices: a ______________ and
a _________________.
a. metaphor; hyperbole
b. anaphora; alliteration
c. symbol; irony
d. allusion; personification
12. This story is written from what point-of-view?
a. 1st person, limited
b. 2nd person, omniscient
c. 3rd person, limited
13. Lines 68-69 which states: “Then he remembered that he had left little Mickey in a
basket on the rear seat…” is an example of ______________.
a. direct characterization
b. the exposition of a story
c. Bob’s epiphany
d. the story’s symbolism
14. Lines 50-51 with the words “She’d scream. She’d complicate everything” are an
example of ____________.
a. epiphany
b. irony
c. anaphora
d. hyperbole
15. The best examples of foreshadowing come from which of the following sets of
lines?
a. Line 2, lines 9-10, line 43,
b. Line 1, line 15, line 57
c. Line 21, line 41, line 50
d. All of the above
16. What is Bob’s destination while he is driving?
a. to go home
b. to pick up his wife from the doctor
c. to go to the store for baby formula
d. to work at the junk yard
17. What inference can you make about the reason behind Bob “popping” mints into
his mouth?
a. He doesn’t want his wife to know that he was drinking
b. He has a nervous habit of needing to chew
c. Although the story does not mention it, he has halitosis (bad breath) and
would like to get rid of it
d. None of the above
18. The narrator mentions that Bob is a war veteran, based on the context clues from
the rest of the story, in which war did he serve?
a. The Civil War
b. World War I
c. World War II
d. Vietnam