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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. How does the narrator describe the sound that his spinning top makes?
(a) Bold and thunderous, like a storm.
(b) Loud and wailing, like a ghost.
(c) Cold and hissing, like a snake.
(d) Stealthy and quiet, like a ninja.

2. For how many years does the Shepherd family take its annual pilgrimage to Clear Lake?
(a) Eighteen.
(b) Fourteen.
(c) Seven.
(d) Ten.

3. When the Old Man gets himself a beer at the fair, what does he get for his older son?
(a) Spiced cider.
(b) Banana milkshake.
(c) Shirley Temple.
(d) Orange Nehi.

4. How long does the ham that Mother prepares have to sit in the oven to rest?
(a) Twelve hours.
(b) Ten minutes.
(c) Three hours.
(d) Half an hour.

5. What happens to the house next door to the narrator after the Bumpus family moves in?
(a) It gets toilet papered.
(b) It ages overnight.
(c) Two new rooms are added in the back.
(d) It's painted purple.

Short Answer Questions

1. On the family road trip, where do the narrator and his brother fit in a car that is so full of supplies?

2. What does the Old Man admire about his favorite ride at the County Fair?

3. What happens when Grover Dill insults Delbert Bumpus' name?

4. Where does the narrator begin training for his matches against Scut Farkas?

5. What does the narrator find, after almost not seeing it, tucked between two looming buildings?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the Old Man handle all the problems the family encounters en route to Michigan?

2. At the end of the Shepherd family's County Fair excursion, what is the Old Man's assessment?

3. Describe the yard of the Bumpus family.

4. What is top spinning, and why are the boys of Warren G. Harding Elementary School so obsessed with this pastime?

5. On departure day, why does the Shepherd family fail to leave for their annual trip at six in the morning as planned?

6. What happens to the much anticipated Easter ham in Story One?

7. How does the house next door to the Shepherds transform after the Bumpus family moves in?

8. Describe the sense of anticipation the Shepherd family members feel as they prepare to experience the County Fair. What is each family member looking forward to the most?

9. Where do the Bumpuses make their illegal liquor?

10. How does the author lead the narrator into telling the story of his top-spinning battle with Scut Farkas?

(see the answer keys)

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