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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. How does Zinkoff's mother watch him as he goes to school on his first day?

2. Why did Mrs. Biswell become a teacher?

3. What about Zinkoff does Mrs. Biswell say is atrocious?

4. How long has Zinkoff's first teacher been teaching?

5. What kind of hat does Zinkoff's teacher wear on his first day of school?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Zinkoff and his father do on Willow Street?

2. What makes Zinkoff feel like the Waiting Man?

3. What is the Waiting Man waiting for?

4. What happens when a bully tries to take Zinkoff's hat on the playground?

5. What is unusual about Zinkoff's first time leaving his home alone?

6. How is the narration of the first chapter different from the rest of the book?

7. Why does Mr. Zinkoff take his son to Willow Street on a Sunday?

8. What do Zinkoff and his father discuss during lunch on their day at Willow Drive, and why?

9. What does Andrew's father think of the neighborhood, and why?

10. How is Zinkoff described in the first chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Miss Meeks and Mrs. Biswell are two very similar people, and yet they have some very notable and important differences. Using the text to cite some support and, write a compare/contrast essay about these two teachers.

Essay Topic 2

Zinkoff presented a very interesting and unique philosophy on life. What was this philosophy, and how did this different idealism affect the people around him?

Essay Topic 3

The theme of special needs children was central to this plot. How did this theme affect the main characters, and why do you think this was such an important theme for the author to present with this book?

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