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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. In the hospital room, Colton told Todd that what happened?

2. Why did they call ahead?

3. Who is the Burpo family traveling to visit at the beginning of the book?

4. In March of 2003, the family was planning a celebratory trip to _____________, Colorado.

5. Usually he saw it where?

Short Essay Questions

1. What might Todd mean by the shadow of death?

2. Why did Todd rage at God? Should he have done this? Why or why not?

3. What did Todd confess? Why was this not a full confession?

4. Who was stronger in this situation, Todd or Sonja? Why?

5. How was the burst appendix a dire situation? Could this have been prevented? Why or why not?

6. What did the Burpos refuse to stop paying? Why do they do this?

7. How was Colton's recovery miraculous? Do you believe the prayers helped? Why or why not?

8. What made taking a CT scan challenging? What wa the technician's suggestion? Was this good? Why or why not?

9. How did a broken leg severely affect the family's finances?

10. Why did Colton yell for his father? How is this important?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Before being diagnosed with appendicitis, Colton is misdiagnosed.

Part 1) How is Colton's appendicitis first diagnosed? How is it misdiagnosed again? What leads to the wrong diagnoses? How do they affect Colton and his family? How different would this story be if Colton's appendicitis had been diagnosed correctly the first time?

Part 2) If given the chance, would the Burpo family go back and change the events of this story so that Colton was diagnosed correctly the first time? Why or why not?

Part 3) When you have suffered from set-backs, illness, or challenges that led to positive outcomes, would you have to change the past so those challenges never occurred? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The trip in March was to be celebratory.

Part 1) Why was the trip supposed to be celebratory? What had happened to the Burpo family prior to this trip? How had their faith and strength been tested? What did these previous challenges reveal about the Burpo family?

Part 2) How did the trip change? Why did it change? How did the various family members react to these changes? What do these reactions reveal about them?

Part 3) How, in the end, did this trip in March lead to celebration? When have you suffered and later realized it had led you to positive changes in your life and/or in the lives of others?

Essay Topic 3

Todd gives an incomplete confession.

Part 1) What does Todd Confess? Why does he make this confession? How is it an incomplete confession? Why does he leave this information out? What does this say about him?

Part 2) When does Todd finally confess fully what happened to his son and to his family? Why does he finally make this confession? How do others react to it? How does this affect the Burpo family?

Part 3) How does Todd's reluctance to confess reveal his doubt? How is he like Doubting Thomas? How do you compare to Doubting Thomas and Todd? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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