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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 team does Josh describe having just beaten in "Mom Calls Me into the Kitchen"?

2. How old was Josh's grandfather when he died, according to the narrator in "Conversation"?

3. What does the narrator say the only thing his brother loves more than basketball is in "Jordan Bell"?

4. The narrator says in the poem "Josh Bell," "See when I play ball, / I'm on fire. / When I shoot, I" what?

5. What does Josh describe Jordan wearing in "Conversation"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the meaning of the title to the poem "Second-Person"?

2. What literary device stand out the most in the poem "Showoff"? What are examples?

3. How did Josh Bell get his nickname? What is the significance of Josh's nickname?

4. How do JB and Josh respond to their father's collapse in "I"m on Free Throw Number Twenty-Seven"?

5. Why does Crystal Bell make her husband sit in the top row of the bleachers during basketball games?

6. What differences does Josh describe between him and his brother in "JB and I"?

7. What metaphors are seen in "Basketball Rule #1"?

8. Why does Josh suggest his father write a book in "Conversation"?

9. How does Josh describe JB's behavior in the first poem titled "Conversation" from "Second Quarter"?

10. How does Josh describe his brother in "Jordan Bell"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of basketball in The Crossover. What correlations does the author make between basketball and life? How is this motif related to the themes of the verse novel?

Essay Topic 2

What health problem does Chuck suffer from? How is this condition highlighted in the narrative? What are the causes of Chuck's health condition? What is the outcome?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Josh's feelings about Alexis (Miss Sweet Tea) in the narrative. Why does Josh express jealousy over Alexis? What do you think Alexis represents symbolically in the story? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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