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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. What does Petra ask Calder to explain?

2. What painting does Calder find on Mrs. Sharpe's wall?

3. In what does Calder feel trapped?

4. What does Calder learn about his grandmother?

5. Besides the writing itself, what gives clues to aid in solving the mystery?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Petra and Calder learn about the Lady and what do they decide to do?

2. What is significant about M & M's?

3. What does Calder discover in Mrs. Sharpe's home?

4. Why does Calder think he and Petra should call The National Gallery?

5. Who did Calder used to spend his time with, and what does he do now?

6. How does a set of pentominoes work?

7. What does Petra begin looking for, and does she find it at home?

8. How does Petra obtain the book called "Lo!"?

9. What helps Calder think and what is he thinking about as he sits in his room?

10. What does the letter from Tommy say, and what is Calder's thoughts about the letter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Chasing Vermeer belongs to the young teen novel genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the young teen novel genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between a young teen novel and a historical novel?

Essay Topic 2

Lo! is a book full of unexplained events. The clippings in this book come from newspapers from all over the world and include hundreds of stories of bizarre events. The majority of these events are of living animals falling out of the sky. Charles Fort, the author of the book, believes that people take what happens around them and then make these often odd and unlikely events fit into something they can understand, rather than taking what actually happens and trying to figure out why it has happened.

1. Do you think a bizarre event can always be explained by science, even if the knowledge is not available in the present time? Why or why not? Use examples from "Chasing Vermeer" and your own life to support your answer.

2. Making something you see into something your mind understands or expects is a common phenomenon. For example, we might see "waht" but read "what". Discuss an incident in "Chasing Vermeer" in which one of the characters saw an event and decided to interpret that event based on what the character wanted to find or know. Use examples from "Chasing Vermeer" and your own life to support your answer.

3. Explain, in depth, how reading Lo! changed Petra and Calder's perception of the world. Use examples from "Chasing Vermeer" and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following:

1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful novel?

2. Analyze and discuss "Chasing Vermeer" based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if "Chasing Vermeer" is a successful novel.

3. Do you think the criteria for a successful novel should be different if it is written for adults versus young teens? Why or why not? Would most adults consider "Chasing Vermeer" a successful novel? What about young teens?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 954 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample