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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. How often does Dave receive lunch during the summer of 1971?

2. Why does Dave's mother suddenly allow Dave to eat with the family, watch TV, and give him new clothes to wear?

3. What new torture does Dave's mother come up with when she sends him to clean the bathroom in Chapter 6, While Father is Away?

4. What does Dave manage to do when he is rescued?

5. What does Dave realize after years of struggling?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe what Dave does when he finds that his stab wound is infected.

2. Describe where Dave brings his son in the Epilogue and his emotions at that time.

3. Explain why Dave's morale is low in the summer of 1971.

4. Explain what Dave's mother does after he is stabbed.

5. What are Dave's thoughts when his father leaves for good?

6. Describe the actions of Dave's mother when she offers him a plate of food after ten days of not eating.

7. Describe the incident where Dave is stabbed by his mother.

8. Describe Dave's behavior in the classroom one a day during the winter of 1973.

9. Describe the people Dave encounters after he is rescued.

10. Explain why Mother suddenly allows Dave to watch television and gives him new clothes to wear in Chapter 6, While Father is Away.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Describe how Dave's family celebrates the holidays during the good times.

- Cite examples from the story of how they decorate the house, the gifts that are exchanged, and the foods that are served.

- Compare the holidays in the good times to Dave's holidays as the book progresses.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the different methods Dave uses to obtain food. Cite examples from the book.

- What are Dave's punishments when his mother finds out he has been sneaking food?

- Describe some of the food items Dave eats in order to survive.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 795 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample