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. How does Dave feel as he watches the sunset after being stabbed?

2. What lie does Dave's mother tell everyone about what Dave did to her while she was pregnant?

3. When Dave's mother returns from the zoo, what does she do to him?

4. What is the secret that Dave learns quickly from his bad situation?

5. What happens to Dave in the winter of 1973, while he is in his classroom?

Short Essay Questions

1. Summarize the forms of punishment Dave expects to receive as he turns 11-years-old.

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

3. How does Dave feel about life in America, as outlined in the Epilogue?

4. Describe how Dave is treated by the rest of the family when his mother is in the hospital delivering his new brother.

5. Explain why Dave's mother gives him roller skates for Christmas.

6. Explain the new punishment Dave's mother invents for him in Chapter 5, While Father is Away, and how he survives it.

7. How does the school nurse become interested in Dave's condition in Chapter 6, While Father is Away?

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

9. Describe what Dave has to do while the rest of the family eats in the summer of 1971.

10. Summarize Mother's reaction when she receives a letter from Mr. Zeigler praising Dave's efforts in school.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss how Dave's attitude toward life changes from the beginning of the book to the end.

- How does his attitude change toward God?

- How does his attitude change about himself?

- How are the differences in his attitude toward the meaning of life different from the beginning to the end of the book?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the book, Dave's mother reveals her coldness and cruelty toward Dave.

- Summarize how her attitude toward Dave reflects the attitudes of the rest of the family. Cite examples from the story.

- How does she brainwash Dave's brothers and father not to acknowledge Dave's abusive situation?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 786 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample