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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 is Valerie's relationship with her second husband like?

2. Where does Valerie find work after leaving the Air Force?

3. Which Virginia couple successfully challenged Virginia's ban on interracial marriage at the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1960s?

4. How old is Ryan in 2011 when he enters the Met's competition?

5. What does Valerie claim changed her second husband for the worse?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 5, what is the conductor, Patrick Summers, worried there might be too much of an emphasis on in opera these days?

2. Who is the juvenile detention center that Ryan is placed in in Chapter 7 named after?

3. When Ryan works with the conductor Patrick Summers in Chapter 5, how does their practice session go?

4. What does Valerie tell Bergner about the lowest point in her life that she thinks her two boys are unaware of?

5. What important task does Camille LaBarre help Ryan with before the second round of the Met's competition in Chapter 3?

6. How does Ryan feel after he gives his father Cecil a tour of the Met in Chapter 7?

7. In Chapter 6, what are some of the negative impacts of Valerie's religious beliefs on Ryan and Adrian as they grow up?

8. What does the pronunciation and vocal coach Carrie-Ann Matheson tell Ryan to do when he goes home that evening in Chapter 7 that will help him with his Italian pronunciation?

9. What law that Dr. DeJarnette was instrumental in passing was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1960s?

10. How do Ryan and Adrian remember their mother Valerie's relationship with Barry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

After he leaves the DeJarnette Center, Ryan joins the Latin club, befriends a while classmate named Jared Poulter, and generally tries to integrate himself into the white mainstream of his school. Write an essay analyzing why he takes these actions and what he hopes to gain from his actions.

Essay Topic 2

How does the experience of being repeatedly put into isolation, or solitary confinement, for regular periods of time at age 12 at the DeJarnette Center affect Ryan? Write an essay explaining your answer, using specific references to the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing how Ryan's behavior in the DeJarnette Center is related to the problems he was experiencing with his mother Valerie at the time, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

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