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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the narrator mean when she says Mother told her "not to be so fresh" (26)?
(a) Mother told the narrator not to be so prim and proper.
(b) Mother told the narrator not to talk back.
(c) Mother told the narrator not to use so much hand soap.
(d) Mother told the narrator not be so quick to judge people.

2. On what day of the week does Mother say the pageant rehearsals will be?
(a) Thursdays.
(b) Sundays.
(c) Wednesdays.
(d) Saturdays.

3. Mrs. Armstrong tells Mother that she always reminds the pageant participants of what saying?
(a) It is better to be safe than sorry.
(b) A stitch in time saves nine.
(c) A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
(d) There are no small parts, only small actors.

4. Whose name does Mother NOT call when she is trying to make sure that no one else is interested in playing the role of Mary?
(a) Alice.
(b) Janet.
(c) Roberta.
(d) Imogene.

5. Why do all of the shepherds get nervous when Mother mentions the Angel of the Lord?
(a) They are scared of the narrator, the girl playing the Angel of the Lord.
(b) They are scared of Alice, the girl playing the Angel of the Lord.
(c) They are scared of Gladys, the girl playing the Angel of the Lord.
(d) They are scared of Imogene, the girl playing the Angel of the Lord.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Father asks his family what had "finally happened to Herod" (50), what do they decide is the answer?

2. What does Mrs. Armstrong mean by the saying she always tells the pageant participants?

3. What reason does Charlie's friend Hobie say he cannot be a shepherd?

4. Mrs. Armstrong announces that however the pageant turns out, she will accept the what?

5. After completing research at the library, in what way do the Herdmans want to rewrite the pageant?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss a moment in the narrative when the narrator thinks that her friend Alice is behaving badly.

2. Discuss how Mother's character is depicted as having unending supplies of patience and compassion.

3. What behaviors of the Herdman siblings indicate their keen interest in the subject of the Christmas story?

4. Discuss the significance of Mother's comment when she states to Father, "No, their chief instinct was to get Mary and the baby out of the barn. But even so, it was Herod they wanted to do away with, and Mary or Joseph. They picked out the right villain -- that must mean something" (50).

5. What questions are raised in the narrator's mind about the Nativity story as a result of her interactions with the Herdmans?

6. Discuss the significance of Mrs. Armstrong's comment to Mother when she says, "And then I always remind them that there are no small parts, only small actors" (25).

7. What does the library symbolize?

8. What evidence does the author provide for the conclusion that having the first meeting about the pageant after church is a poor decision?

9. For what purpose does the author include an allusion to General Custer in the last section of Chapter Six?

10. Discuss the author's purpose for including Alice's character within the narrative.

(see the answer keys)

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