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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 the name of the team that Josh and JB play basketball for?

2. What is the narrator's Number 3 reason listed in "Five Reasons I Have Locks"?

3. What does Josh describe eating for lunch in "JB and I"?

4. What time is it when a cop pulls over Josh's dad in "Game Time: 6:00 p.m."?

5. What book does Josh see an old man reading in "Third Wheel"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Josh define "Tipping Point" in the poem with the same name?

2. What conflict is described in "On the Way to the Game"?

3. How are the careers of Josh's parents described in the narrative?

4. How does Josh define "irony" in "Ironic"? How does he apply irony to his life?

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

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

7. Who is Josh Bell and what role does he play in "The Crossover"?

8. What does Crystal explain to Josh in "Mom Calls Me into the Kitchen"?

9. Why does Josh pretend to be JB on the phone when Alexis first calls? What do Josh and Alexis talk about?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the use of nicknames in The Crossover. What is Josh's nickname and what significance does it have? What is Chuck's nickname and how did he obtain it? How do these nicknames reflect upon the characters in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the genre of The Crossover. Why do you think the author has chosen to relate this story in the form of a verse novel? How would the novel differ if related in prose? What are the benefits of this style?

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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