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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Joey see when his train passes Grandma Dowdel's house in "The Troop Train"?
(a) Grandma Dowdel's house no longer standing.
(b) Grandma Dowdel waving.
(c) Grandma Dowdel holding a large banner.
(d) Fireworks going off across the town.

2. When was author Richard Peck born?
(a) April 10, 1934.
(b) March 12, 1945.
(c) July 4, 1940.
(d) September 2, 1910.

3. Whose framed picture hangs on the wall of the Coffee Pot Cafe in "The Phantom Brakeman"?
(a) Franklin D. Roosevelt's.
(b) Babe Ruth's.
(c) John Wayne's.
(d) Theodore Roosevelt's.

4. How does Grandma Dowdel say her old tomcat died in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) "Got in front of the Cannonball."
(b) "Fell into the old coal mine."
(c) "Got run over by a horse."
(d) "Fell off the roof of the barn last July."

5. How old is Junior Stubbs said to be in "The Phantom Brakeman"?
(a) 17.
(b) 19.
(c) 30.
(d) 25.

6. Why has Effie Wilcox gone to live with her sister in "Things with Wings"?
(a) Because Effie cannot care for herself anymore.
(b) Because the bank has foreclosed on her house.
(c) Because her sister has become widowed.
(d) Because her sister has fallen ill.

7. What organization in Grandma's town shows movies at their outdoor picture show in "Things with Wings"?
(a) The Kiwanis Club.
(b) The Freemasons Society.
(c) The Elks Club.
(d) The Lions Club.

8. What is the name of the sequel to A Long Way from Chicago?
(a) Home in the Hills.
(b) Along the Wandering Coast.
(c) Closer to Chicago.
(d) A Year Down Yonder.

9. What is one of the major recurring themes in A Long Way from Chicago?
(a) Morality.
(b) Revenge.
(c) Adultery.
(d) Political corruption.

10. How much money does Joey and Mary Alice's father give them apiece before they go to Grandma Dowdel's?
(a) 75 cents.
(b) 50 cents.
(c) $1.
(d) 25 cents.

11. How old does Mrs. Weidenbach claim her father is in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) 88.
(b) 90.
(c) 93.
(d) 95.

12. How much does it cost to attend the local picture show on Wednesdays in Grandma Dowdel's town?
(a) 50 cents.
(b) 25 cents.
(c) 5 cents.
(d) 10 cents.

13. What does Grandma Dowdel tell Joey and Mary Alice to look for in addition to historical clothes in the attic in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) A stovepipe hat.
(b) A butter churn.
(c) A gas lantern.
(d) A wine bottle.

14. In what year is "Things with Wings" set?
(a) 1935.
(b) 1936.
(c) 1929.
(d) 1934.

15. Whose cow does Grandma Dowdel claim to have started the Great Fire of Chicago in "The Phantom Brakeman"?
(a) Mr. O'Neill's cow.
(b) Mrs. O'Leary's cow.
(c) Mrs. Keene's cow.
(d) Mr. Butler's cow.

Short Answer Questions

1. Grandma Dowdel's unnamed town in A Long Way from Chicago is based on what actual town?

2. What movie do Joey, Mary Alice, and Grandma Dowdel go to see at the movies on Wednesday in "Things with Wings"?

3. Of whom does Grandma Dowdel say "You couldn't blast [her] off her place with a charge of dynamite" in "Centennial Summer"?

4. Where was author Richard Peck born?

5. How much does Ray Veech want Joey to pay him for a full driving course in "Things with Wings"?

(see the answer keys)

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