More Resources

Joan Ackermann, Quiet Torrential Sound

Joan Ackermann, Quiet Torrential Sound

Read Quiet Torrential Sound and check your comprehension by answering the following questions. Then “submit” your work.

1. Monica and Claire are

mother and daughter.

lovers.

friends.

sisters.

2. Monica’s chief occupations are (a) seeking cultural enrichment and (b)

picking up waiters.

criticizing Claire (for her own good).

eating.

taking self-improvement classes.

3. What does Claire enjoy about the concert the women just attended?

She appreciates the way musicians polish their instruments.

She thinks the first violin player was cute.

She likes the way kettledrums make her feel—in her abdomen.

She thinks the conductor was exceptional.

4. Claire says, “I’m thirty-three years old, Monica . . .”

“and I’m not listening to what Mom and Dad want anymore!”

“and I’ve never had a man!”

“and I’ve finally gotten in touch with my own body.”

“and I’m tired of listening to you blah-blah!”

5. When Claire tells Monica, “There is nothing like it,” she is referring to

the distant rolling hills of the Berkshires.

the thrilling final movement of a symphony.

sharing her feelings of sexual joy with someone else.

Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.