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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. Osvaldo Cruz is a member of which gang?

2. What type of criminal charges against Wendell Bolton are dropped?

3. In the credits in Chapter 1, Sandra Petrocelli is credited as what?

4. According to Osvaldo, how old is Bobo?

5. What does O'Brien say a termite looks like?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the charges against Wendell Bolden get dropped?

2. What does Mr. Nesbitt look like in the pictures the prosecution passes around to the jury?

3. Why does Johnny, the ringleader of the eventual crime, want to rob a pharmacy instead of a bank?

4. What does Steve say about why he thinks Petrocelli is using Bolden's testimony?

5. What does Star Wars have to do with the way Steve designs the beginning of his film?

6. When Steve gets dressed for court on Thursday, July 9 and thinks of his mother, what is she doing?

7. In the prologue, Steve says "they say you get used to being in jail." What is Steve's take on this passage?

8. What does Steve say happens if anyone knows you are crying in prison?

9. What kind of knife does one prisoner have? Describe it.

10. What is Steve doing when the police come to arrest him and take him away from home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the most significant players in Steve's life is Kathy O'Brien. Write a character analysis of Kathy O'Brien, explaining who she is, how she behaves, and what her role in this novel is. Be sure to offer specific textual passages showing how this character is developed throughout the novel. You may want to include whether or not Kathy O'Brien's character undergoes any changes, and if so, detail them.

Essay Topic 2

The time line and time frame of this novel are not chronological, but are told rather in flashbacks. Pick at least three specific examples of flashbacks in this book. With each example, describe and contextualize what came before it and what came after it. In addition, write analytical descriptions of the flashbacks. Be sure to include in your analysis why Myers chose to convey this specific information in flashback structure rather than in chronological order. What does the specific structure of each flashback add to the memory that Myers could not achieve with chronological order?

Essay Topic 3

Walter Dean Myers uses film and a screenplay format not only as a narrative mode, but also as a metaphor and symbol in Steve's life. In an analytical essay explaining how film works literally as well as symbolically in this novel, describe the ways in which "film" plays an important role in Steve's life. What are some of the things that characterize the role film plays?

(see the answer keys)

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