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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 role does Nick take up at his school?

2. What does Nick's family have to consult him about before planning any important events?

3. In which country is the Heysel stadium?

4. What is Hornby within walking distance of in his new North London home?

5. What football team does Neil support?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cambridge Utd.'s losing streak affect Nick?

2. How does Hornby foreshadow the tragedies that will happen later in the novel?

3. How does Nick's life change when he moves to North London?

4. How does Nick get though the heartache of splitting up with his girlfriend?

5. How does Nick's girlfriend react to watching Arsenal play?

6. Summarize this section.

7. How happens during the Heysel disaster?

8. What does Nick buying tickets in the all-seater part of the stadium signify?

9. Summarize this section.

10. What does Augustus Caesar help Nick understand about life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the differences between the book and autobiography formats. What are the main elements of a book? What are the main elements of an autobiography? What can novelists express that an autobiographer cannot? How can autobiographies keep to the facts while still maintaining a level of entertainment?

Essay Topic 2

Why does the Heysel disaster affect Nick so deeply? Do the students think Nick is right to apologize to his Italian students? Does Nick feels a sense of guilt himself? If so, why?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss elements of the narrative structure: Exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all of the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's themes?

(see the answer keys)

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