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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Rick lose his job at the Birmingham paper?

2. What did Margaret do at the buffet in New York City that both surprised and amused Rick?

3. What did Sam wear to his grandmother's funeral?

4. What did the young South Carolina woman say happened to her two boys?

5. What had Mark been doing since his fight with Sam?

Short Essay Questions

1. What gifts did Rick give his mother after he became a successful journalist, and what gift did he want to give his mother? How did he feel about these gifts?

2. Why did momma move out of the new house?

3. What were the details of the stories that Rick told about the bodegas in New York City?

4. What did Rick learn in Birmingham as he worked for the paper?

5. Why didn't Rick remain married to his young bride?

6. Who was the Serial Diner, and what did he teach Rick?

7. In winter of 1994, where was Rick and what was he writing about?

8. What kind of a man did Sam become, and what did Rick think about him?

9. Why did Rick never drink alone?

10. How did Rick fare at Harvard?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Thirty years later, Rick went back to see the big house that he once lived in. It was renovated. Rick wanted to scream when he saw it. Explain why he would want to scream at a beautiful house.

Essay Topic 2

How did poverty shape the young lives of the three brothers? How did Margaret get caught up in the poverty cycle, and what did it cost her?

Essay Topic 3

What historical lesson did Rick Bragg teach his readers about Haiti? How has this story affected Rick, and what did he hope the story would continue to do to his readers?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,164 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample