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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 did Jake do with the slip for the football league in seventh grade?

2. Why did Jake's mom feel guilty when Skelly was in the dumpster?

3. Why did Jake have to give up his Valentine King crown?

4. What question did Jake's dad ask his mom at dinner on their one-year anniversary?

5. What happened when Jake woke Skelly up for dinner four months after the accident?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Skelly's nickname for Thorbert change him?

2. What injuries does Skelly have, and how does he react to them?

3. What happened when Jake stayed after school one day to play football?

4. How did the grandfather get the name Skelly?

5. What happened at the dinner table on Valentine's Day that bothered Jake?

6. What was Mrs. Russell like?

7. How did Skelly react to James and Jake, and what was the result?

8. How does Jake respond to Skelly when he has friends over?

9. How did Jake react to the humiliation he felt after the sleepover?

10. By the time Jake was in sixth grade, how did he feel about his "laying low" strategy, and what did he do about it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of a name. Using examples from the book, describe what Jake's name meant to him, how Skelly got his name, and how Skelly changed a young boy's life by giving him a strong nickname.

Essay Topic 2

How does the author show the changes in Jake as he ages throughout the book? What new choices does he have in his life, and how does he decide to face these choices?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the inner conflict Jake struggles with as he remembers the old Skelly yet has to deal with the Alzheimer's afflicted Skelly.

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This section contains 681 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample