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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 happens to the smoke when the elevator door opens in Chapter Four?

2. Who had taught Will’s dad The Rules as told by Chapter Five?

3. What do Will and his father do after Will’s dad tells his story in Chapter Five?

4. Who was Buck’s stepdad as said in Chapter Six?

5. As said in Chapter Six, what had Buck done when Frick tried to rob him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Will feel like telling his dad in Chapter Five? Why does he keep it inside?

2. Why does Frick try to rob Buck as told in Chapter Six? Why do other people not try to rob Buck?

3. What is the script of the film Uncle Mark wants to make as described by Jessie in Chapter Four?

4. According to Chapter Six, why was Shawn upset as he tells to Buck? What does Buck do to comfort him?

5. How had Will’s dad felt after Uncle Mark’s death as told in Chapter Five? What is the figurative language his dad uses to describe how he feels?

6. How had Shawn come to know how their dad had passed on as told in Chapter Five? How had Buck become for Shawn after Mikey Holloman had died?

7. When Will hears Buck talking about Shawn being upset in Chapter Six, who does Will think is the guy who bothered Shawn at the convenience store? What does Frick say when asked about Riggs?

8. What had Will’s dad done in as told Chapter Five after Uncle Mark’s death?

9. Who gets on the elevator in Chapter Four? What does he do to Will?

10. How does Will’s dad feel after he shoots the guy in Chapter Five? Who does Will’s dad find out he actually shoots?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Think about the ending of the “The Scene” in Chapter Four where Will says he shoots after some reluctance. Consider how many generations are represented repeating a similar pattern of revenge. Why does Will not want to shoot? Does Will have free will to choose to shoot or not shoot? Why or why not? Argue why or why he does not have free will and connect this to the ending of the novel. What does the ending suggest about free will?

Essay Topic 2

Will's mother has eczema, and scratches at herself to soothe the itch.Will in the first Chapter wonders if everyone is being eaten alive by something invisible, like her eczema (26). What does he mean by this? How is this idea shown or expanded later in the novel? Why is it continually used? Use at least three textual examples to explore this topic.

Essay Topic 3

The Rules are the center of the novel's events, driving Will's actions as well as the actions of generations before him. Will says repeatedly, "The Rules are the rules," implying that they can not be changed. Why is this the case? Why has Will, and others, accepted The Rules so readily? What have The Rules done for the community? And finally, does the novel show that The Rules are The Rules, or does it show something different? Use four textual examples to support your paper.

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