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 did Zippy's dad give the dogs to bark at when he kept the dogs on his front lawn?

2. What grade was Julie's sister in when she died?

3. What did Zippy call her most beloved blanket?

4. What happened at Big Dave and Debbie's house when a runt pig was born?

5. What was Zippy's favorite campground?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Zippy view the story about how Julie's parents met, married, and lost their daughter Connie?

2. By throwing the runt piglet on the pile of dead carcasses, what did Julie show Zippy that she knew?

3. What was unavailable to buy at the drugstore in Mooreland? What is the irony of this situation?

4. How, as a baby, did Zippy take a nap? What does this story indicate to the reader?

5. What did Zippy's dad use to keep the dogs barking all night when he was "dog-sitting?"

6. Why did Zippy think about her did leaving everyday but not mentioning work?

7. What was the only reason Melinda thought anyone would ever read a book about Mooreland, Indiana?

8. Why did Zippy's neighbor Reed threaten to kill her dogs?

9. How did Zippy's dad's react to the teacher's comment that she colored outside the lines? Why do you think he reacted that way?

10. Why do you think Zippy's mom was absent during the night of the "dog-sitting?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

After Zippy's dad confronted his neighbor Reed, he tells Zippy, "There's danger everywhere." What did he mean by this statement to his daughter? What was his bigger message?

Essay Topic 2

Although the author indicates that Mooreland was not connected to the outside world, what happened in this town that linked it with other towns across the country and gives the reader a sense of the year?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance that Zippy did not talk till she was almost three and when she finally did, that she spoke in complete sentences? What were her first words? What is remarkable about that? How did her father react? What do you think of his reaction?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 845 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample