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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 new punishment does Dave's mother invent for him in Chapter 3, Bad Boy?

2. Beginning in Chapter 3, Bad Boy, who becomes Dave's protector?

3. How does Dave feel about telling the story of his injuries in Chapter 1, The Rescue?

4. Once school starts again in Chapter 4, The Fight for Food, what is Dave's mother feeding him?

5. How does Dave's relationship with his mother change in Chapter 3, Bad Boy?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain what the school requires Dave to do before school every day in Chapter 1, The Rescue.

2. What does Dave's mother tell the doctor when she dislocates his shoulder?

3. Describe Mother's reaction when the principal calls her about Dave's condition in Chapter 4, The Fight for Food.

4. What does Dave decide to do when he can no longer steal food from school?

5. Describe what Dave's mother does one day when she is sick in Chapter 2, Good Times.

6. Summarize the punishment Dave's mother inflicts upon him while the family is vacationing at the Russian River, as described in Chapter 4, The Fight for Food.

7. Describe Dave's plan to prevent his mother from making him lie across the gas stove in Chapter 3, Bad Boy.

8. Describe the condition of Dave's mother on a typical day in Chapter 1, The Rescue.

9. By Chapter 4, The Fight for Food, what is his position in the family?

10. Explain the dramatic lesson Dave's mother teaches the boys on a Sunday afternoon in Chapter 2, Good Times.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Summarize the events in the book that lead Dave to calling his mother's house, 'The Madhouse'. Give several examples from the book and describe how these events are considered insane by Dave.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Dave as an adult.

- What does he vow to do with his life now that he is free?

- What has he done with his adult life to escape his past and move on?

- Explain how he prevents himself from falling into the black hole of self-pity.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Dave's views of the Russian River from the first time the reader is introduced to the vacation spot up to the time he visits it as an adult.

- What are his feelings in the good times?

- How does he feel when the family goes without him?

- Analyze his emotions when he brings his son, Stephen, to the Russian River.

(see the answer keys)

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