Harrison Bergeron – General Understanding Quiz

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Approximate Reading Times

Quick Read: under 5 minutes
Short Story: 5 to 30 minutes
Novelette: 30 to 90 minutes
Novella: 1.5 to 2.5 hours

Talpa
Short Story by Juan Rulfo. The wife and brother of a man dying slowly from a painful, weeping skin condition agree to take him on a pilgrimage to a famous religious shrine. They are in an adulterous relationship, and are not doing it to be kind.
The Father
Quick Read by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. A prideful peasant visits a priest about his son on three occasions, each time seeking to elevate his status in the community. The tragic death of his son leaves the man devasted and humbled, bringing about a major change in his outlook on life.
Araby
Short Story by James Joyce. An adolescent boy is infatuated with a friend’s older sister and becomes obsessed with the idea of visiting the “Grand Oriental Fete” (Araby) to buy her an exotic gift. Arriving shortly before closing time, the experience is not what he expected.

Agkon, the Greedy Son
Philippine Folktale. A mother revives a rotting corpse to punish her only son for not sharing a meal. When the poor lad is no more she regrets the decision… not because she loved the boy, but because she is lonely and has nobody else to help around the house.
Eraser Tattoo
Short Story by Jason Reynolds. Teenage lovers try to come to grips with being separated after the girl’s family decides to move interstate. The controlling girl has insisted on burning her initial into the boy’s arm as a token of his enduring devotion, but refuses one herself.
Diary of a Madman
Novelette by Nikolai Gogol. A government clerk starts to exhibit strange behavior. He becomes infatuated with his Department Head’s daughter, stalks the poor girl after overhearing a conversation between two dogs, reads their (the dogs’) letters, and finally suffers delusions of grandeur, believing himself to be the King of Spain.
Flying Home
Novelette by Ralph Ellison. A young, idealistic black man survives a plane crash while training to become an air-force pilot. He has been obsessed with flying since a child, and believes that by becoming a pilot he can dispel common stereotypes about the intelligence and capability of African-Americans.

Shopping
Short Story by Joyce Carol Oates. A lonely, divorced mother hopes that a trip to the mall with her 17-year-old daughter will help resolve problems between them. The girl is blossoming into womanhood. She has been the focus of her mother’s life, and the mother is having trouble "letting go".
The Shadowy Third
Novelette by Ellen Glasgow. A woman mourning her daughter’s death “hallucinates” that she is still alive. When her nurse claims that she, too, can see the spectral child, the mother confides that her husband killed her. When the woman dies shortly afterwards, justice is served in an unexpected manner.
Mariah
Short Story by Che Husna Azhari. The men of a Malay village gather every morning to buy a nasi dish from an attractive young widow with swinging hips and an easy smile. The village Imam is love-struck, and convinces his devoted wife to let him have another.