View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dave's mother teach him in a small trenched hole at the Russian River?

2. What is Dave's mother's reaction when she receives a call from the principal about Dave's condition in in Chapter 4, The Fight for Food?

3. What does the principal give to Dave after the meeting in his office?

4. Beginning in Chapter 3, Bad Boy, what does Dave's mother do on the days his father is away at work?

5. When Dave gets home from school one day in Chapter 3, Bad Boy, what does his mother tell him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the Happy Hour that Dave's parents celebrate, as outlined in Chapter 3, Bad Boy.

2. Describe how Dave's mother decorates the house for Christmas in Chapter 2, Good Times.

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

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

5. Describe the clothes Dave wears to school every day in Chapter 1, The Rescue.

6. Explain why the Russian River is Dave's favorite vacation spot in Chapter 2, Good Times.

7. 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.

8. Describe the two excuses Dave makes in Chapter 1, The Rescue, to explain how he got the bruises on his face.

9. Explain what type of punishment Dave's mother invents for him when she doesn't think the corner treatment is effective anymore.

10. Discuss why Dave does not mind having to run to school.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how Dave's mother changes from the beginning of the book to the end.

- How do her attitudes toward her family and Dave in particular change?

- How does her attitude toward Dave's father change?

- What are the differences in her attitude toward the way she takes care of her family, cooking, cleaning, planning vacations, and nurturing change through the course of the book?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Analyze Dave's coming of age throughout the story.

- What fears and emotions does he experience as he experiences more and more abuse from his mother?

- How do his attitudes change as he develops from a young boy into an adult?

- Cite examples of the changes Dave goes through from the good times in the story through his abuse and his rescue.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 820 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample