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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 does Goolrick note about celebrities?

2. How did Goolrick's mother use to pay for movies?

3. Why goes Goolrick call walking by the river "violently sexy" (pg. 135)?

4. Why was town an exciting place?

5. Why did the McClouds throw Goolrick out?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Goolrick make clear in this chapter about his grandmother?

2. What does Goolrick mean when he points out that they boys thought he was one of them?

3. Describe what happened when Goolrick's brother refused to eat when they were children.

4. Explain how cream was used to make butter in the classroom.

5. Describe Mrs. Lackman's son.

6. Explain Goolrick's graduation speech.

7. Explain the title of this chapter, "Such Charming Hands."

8. Explain Goolrick's story of his "real" parents.

9. Explain what happened to Goolrick when he was four years old.

10. Summarize Goolrick's experiences during kindergarten and first grade.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Goolrick's mother clearly knew her husband had sexually molested their son at the age of four. Discuss her reaction. What did she do? Why do you think she acted this way? How did she behave in the days following the event? How did her inner fear poison her feelings for Goolrick? What should she have done? Why do you think she didn't?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, Goolrick admits to constantly seeking satisfaction, love, affection, and acceptance, through drugs, alcohol, sex, and material possessions. Discuss these issues in detail. Why did Goolrick always feel he was not complete? Why did he use alcohol and drugs? What was he trying to hide? Why did he stop allowing others to love him, and stop loving others, as well? Do you think all his issues are related to his childhood trauma, or are these issues related to a lifetime of abuse? Do you think that lifetime of abuse would have occurred if the molestation had not happened? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Choose one of the following characters who was aware of the molestation of Goolrick and discuss, in detail, how the character knew, how they reacted, what they should have done, and possible reasons for their behaviors. This examination is to be in depth. Use information gleaned not only from "Such Charming Hands" but from the explanations in the rest of the novel of the person's everyday characteristics.

-Father

-Mother

-Grandmother

-Goolrick

(see the answer keys)

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