"The Night the Bed Fell"

Which of the choices below best sums up the following passage? 
"Five minutes after she had turned off the light, she would sit up in bed and say, "Hark!" Her husband, who learned to ignore the whole situation as long ago as 1903, would either 
be sound asleep, or pretend to be sound asleep.

• The husband is hard of hearing.
• The husband is afraid to confront any burglars that might be in the house.
• The husband doesn't agree that burglars are invading the house every night.
• The husband is a very sound sleeper.

What does the following passage tell you about Aunt Melissa Beall?
"Old Aunt Melissa Beall...suffered under the premonition that she was destined to die on South High Street, because she was born on South High Street, and she married on South High Street."

• Aunt Melissa Beall is superstitious.
• Aunt Melissa Beall still lives on South High Street.
• Aunt Melissa Beall avoids South High Street.
• Aunt Melissa Beall can predict where anyone will die.

Why is the following passage amusing?
"He's dying!" she shouted.
"I'm all right!" Briggs yelled to reassure her.  "I'm all right!"

• The mother was talking about her husband, not Briggs.
• No one was in any danger.
• Everyone is yelling for no reason.
• Briggs is not really all right.

Why do you think that Thurber's father decides that sleeping in the attic is the best way "to be away where he could think"?

• He has always had an office in the attic.
• The attic is the only room in the house with a lock.
• He just wants to annoy his wife.
• The household is so busy that the attic is the only place where it is quiet.

To which of your senses does the author appeal in the following scene?
"Her frantic pulls on (the door) only added to the general banging and confusion."

• hearing, touch, and sight
• taste and hearing
• smell, touch, and sight
• sight, smell, and taste

What can you assume after reading the following passage?
"...I told him that I was such a light sleeper that if anybody quite breathing in the same room with me, I would wake instantly.  He tested me the first night - which I had suspected he would - by holding his breath after my regular breathing had convinced him I was asleep."

• The narrator usually has trouble getting to sleep.
• The narrator really is a light sleeper.
• The narrator tried to make Briggs think  he was asleep by changing his breathing.
• The narrator is a heavy sleeper.

Briggs Beall wakes up only after the narrator's cot collapses and the mother and Herman shout for ten seconds.  This tells us that 

• Briggs is a light sleeper.
• Briggs had actually stopped breathing.
• Briggs was having interesting dreams.
• Briggs is a heavy sleeper.

How does the dog contribute to the humor of the scene?

• He sleeps through it all.
• Disliking Briggs, he assumes Briggs is the culprit and jumps for him.
• He keeps barking and running around, but does nothing to help.
• He wakes up everyone.

What started all the confusion?

• Briggs Beall stopped breathing in his sleep.
• Burglars came into the house.
• Aunt Gracie threw shoes down the hall.
• The narrator's cot collapsed.

What is humorous about the following passage?
"I'm glad," said mother, whom always looked on the bright side of things, "that your grandfather wasn't here."

• If the grandfather had been there, he would have been in the attic bed.
• It was the mother's habit of looking on the dark side of things that led to the whole scene.
• The grandfather would have been able to calm everyone down.
• You can tell that she's afraid of the grandfather.