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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. Leigh says in his diary entry from January 20 that he wishes he had a grandfather like whom?

2. What does Leigh say he and his mom went to eat after crying in his February 5 diary entry?

3. In his January 31 diary entry, Leigh writes “I am mad at Mom for” what?

4. Who intercepted Leigh when he was about to drop-kick a lunch bag, according to his February 6 diary entry?

5. In his February 9 diary entry, Leigh says that he got a letter from his dad postmarked from where?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the tone of Leigh’s diary entries from January 31 and February 1?

2. What does Leigh reveal about Mr. Henshaw’s advice in his letter from February 28?

3. What does Leigh describe buying at the hardware store in his March 3 diary entry? What does Leigh say about the man who works there?

4. What does Leigh describe as “the worst part” of his exchange with his dad in his February 4 diary entry?

5. What exchange does Leigh describe between himself and Mr. Fridley in his February 6 diary entry?

6. Why are there babies in Leigh’s room when he writes his diary entry on February 2?

7. What does Leigh relate to Mr. Henshaw about his diary in his letter from January 12?

8. What do the butterflies in Leigh’s February 7 diary entry symbolize in Dear Mr. Henshaw?

9. What progress does Leigh describe making with his lunch situation in his March 1 diary entry?

10. What frustrations does Leigh vent in his diary on January 20?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the qualities and information revealed about Boyd Henshaw’s character based on Leigh’s replies from November 15 through November 23. What are Mr. Henshaw’s responses to Leigh’s questions? What do these responses say about Mr. Henshaw’s personality?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the symbolic meaning of the butterflies described in Leigh’s February 7 diary entry. How do these butterflies compare to Leigh as a character? How does Leigh use imagery to describe the butterflies? How does he feel about being in their presence?

Essay Topic 3

In Dear Mr. Henshaw, Leigh writes to his favorite author from second through sixth grades. Discuss Beverly Cleary’s use of language to depict the maturity of Leigh as he continues writing to Mr. Henshaw. For instance, what grammatical and spelling errors can you find in Leigh’s early letters? How do Leigh’s mistakes change as he gets older?

(see the answer keys)

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