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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 did Zippy call her most beloved blanket?

2. Where is the town of Mooreland, Indiana, located?

3. What played on the record player when Zippy's dad taught her to dance the box step?

4. When Daniel could not get into the bathroom one morning before school because Melinda was in there, what did he do?

5. What did Zippy see her next door neighbor do with a chicken one morning before church?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the population of Mooreland, Indiana, stay at about three hundred?

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

3. What do you think happened after Zippy's father confronted his neighbor Reed?

4. What did Zippy want to be when she grew up? Why are these choices unique?

5. Why was Zippy so emotional when Andy sang "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" at Jigger's funeral?

6. How did the dog Kai protect Zippy when she was a child? What does this say about the general opinion of animals in this household?

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

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

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

10. What were the expectations about Zippy training Speckles, the chicken?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What was Zippy's view of her father? How did she describe the things she believed he was good at? Why do you think he always carried a gun? Do you agree with Zippy's statement, "In short, he was what it meant to be a father and a man in 1971"?

Essay Topic 2

When did Zippy's mother show her independence? Do you think she returned to college? What do you think happened after Zippy's mother left that day on her bike? How do you think it changed the relationship between the mother and father?

Essay Topic 3

Who wrote the letter to Zippy at Christmas and what did it mean for Zippy? What do you think the author of the letter meant by "Thank you for not losing faith" and "Thank you for being so brave tonight"?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 915 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample