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| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Who is going to watch Paul's team in the tournament?
2. Which of the following is not a happy memory for Shawn?
3. While "twisting through the universe" in Chapter 13, what is Shawn's favorite part of the experience?
4. In the dream about Ally, where are Ally and Shawn sitting?
5. What shocks Shawn while he is dreaming about the angels?
Short Essay Questions
1. Why does Shawn say in Chapter 12 that he never loved or feared his brother more than at one particular moment the previous summer?
2. In Chapter 14, Shawn dreams that his father sees angels. What is the significance of the angels?
3. In Chapter 14, why does Shawn fall asleep exhausted at ten o'clock that night?
4. Shawn looks at his father, who is sitting on the bed apparently considering whether or not he should end Shawn's life. What does he notice about his father's appearance?
5. On The Alice Ponds Show, what is Alice Ponds' goal while interviewing Sydney McDaniel.
6. What does Shawn mean when he says that "invisibility has its advantages" when it comes to girls?
7. Which characters are going to Spokane in chapter 13 and why is it significant that they are going?
8. After he sees his father's appearance on The Alice Ponds Show, why does Shawn say that he is floating in an ocean of negativity?
9. What are some of the things in Chapter 10 that Shawn remembers about his mother from over the years that make him feel loved?
10. What is apparent about the relationship between Paul and his father after Paul finds out that his father wants him to go on the Alice Ponds show?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The theme of quality of life is central to Stuck in Neutral. Shawn is considered by some to have the life and awareness of a vegetable.
Part 1) How does Shawn first misinterpret this concept? What does it really mean? Who thinks that Shawn is a vegetable? Are they correct? Why or why not? How do the concepts of being a vegetable being famous, or being productive relate to "quality of life?" How does the concept of being productive relate?
Part 2) Shawn describes how his father enjoys life and how he is productive. Are these things that Shawn can aspire to doing as well? How might the inability to do these things cause Shawn's father and others to judge Shawn's quality of life? Does Shawn agree with them? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 2
Shawn states that he does not like it when people are called "special." Write about at least two characters who can be considered "special" in Stuck in Neutral.
Part 1) What does Shawn mean by "special," who is considered "special," and in what way are there characters in Stuck in Neutral considered special?
Part 2) How does Shawn's attitude and the attitude of others about being considered "special" add tension to the plot?
Essay Topic 3
Watching The Alice Ponds Show, it is apparent that both Sydney McDaniel and Earl Detraux say that killing their children is about doing the right thing for the kids. Write an essay about the theme of parental responsibility and mercy killing a disabled child as it relates to Sydney and/or Earl. Pick one of these topics to write about.
Topic 1) What is Sydney's attitude toward the mercy killing a disabled child? It is analogous to what type of disciplinary action a parent might take? How does he relate it to parental responsibility? What is his attitude toward Earl's mercy killing of his child, Collin? Who or what does Sydney say killed Collin?
Topic 2) What is Earl's attitude toward the mercy killing of his own son? Why does he say he smothers him? How does he relate it to parental responsibility? What does he say when asked how he would feel if a cure for Collin is invented? How does this relate to parental responsibility? Is Earl's behavior an example of a mature level of parental responsibility? Why or why not?
Topic 3) What are the similarities and differences between Sydney's and Earl's point of view on parental responsibility and mercy killing a disabled child. Do you think that Earl's actions influence Sydney, validate Sydney's already-existing point of view, or something else? Is Sydney's thought process about mercy killing a disabled child indicative of a mature level of parental responsibility? Why or why not?
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This section contains 1,578 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) |
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