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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who from the Ladies' Hospitality Committee for the Centennial Celebration has fallen ill with a "nervous condition" in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) Mrs. Pugh.
(b) Mrs. Vottsmeier.
(c) Mrs. Keene.
(d) Mrs. Cripe.

2. In what year is "The Phantom Brakeman" set?
(a) 1932.
(b) 1933.
(c) 1930.
(d) 1935.

3. What kind of show is put on by the ladies of the United Brethren Church at the Centennial Celebration?
(a) A comedic play.
(b) A flower show.
(c) A dramatic reading.
(d) A quilt show.

4. What is Mrs. Weidenbach's nephew performing for the talent show in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) An opera solo.
(b) A tap routine.
(c) A dramatic reading.
(d) A piano solo.

5. Who is Mary Alice's dance partner at the talent show in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) Ernie Cowgill.
(b) Ray Veech.
(c) Earl T. Askew.
(d) Ike Cripe.

6. At what time are Vandalia and Junior expected to flee aboard the Wabash Cannonball train on its brief stop in Grandma Dowdel's town in "The Phantom Brakeman"?
(a) 10: 13 p.m.
(b) 11:02 p.m.
(c) 9:01 p.m.
(d) 8:17 p.m.

7. 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) Fireworks going off across the town.
(c) Grandma Dowdel waving.
(d) Grandma Dowdel holding a large banner.

8. In what year is "Centennial Summer" set?
(a) 1941.
(b) 1937.
(c) 1939.
(d) 1935.

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

10. From what station does Joe Dowdel ship out for basic training in "The Troop Train"?
(a) Washington Station.
(b) Jackson Station.
(c) Central Station.
(d) Dearborn Station.

11. Which of the short stories from A Long Way from Chicago was first published elsewhere?
(a) “Shotgun Cheatham’s Last Night above Ground.”
(b) "The Day of Judgment."
(c) "The Phantom Brakeman."
(d) "The Mouse in the Milk."

12. What is the song that Mary Alice and her partner waltz to at the talent show in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) "Handsome Lad."
(b) "I Want What I Have Not."
(c) "From the Mountains, Where They Carried Heavy Crosses."
(d) "When I Grow Too Old to Dream, I'll Have You to Remember."

13. Grandma Dowdel's unnamed town in A Long Way from Chicago is based on what actual town?
(a) Cerro Gordo.
(b) Amity.
(c) Fayetteville.
(d) Malvern.

14. What war did Uncle Grady Griswold fight in?
(a) The Iraq War.
(b) World War I.
(c) The Mexican-American War.
(d) The Korean War.

15. Where does Junior say for Vandalia to meet him at dark when he gives the message to Joey in "The Phantom Brakeman"?
(a) At the cobhouse.
(b) At her mother's house.
(c) At the Catholic church.
(d) At the cemetery.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Where does Joey say he and Mary Alice go to see the movies back home in "Things with Wings"?

3. During what historical period are the stories set in A Long Way from Chicago?

4. What soda does Joey describe as tasting "like cough medicine" in "The Phantom Brakeman"?

5. What does Junior Stubbs sell in "The Phantom Brakeman"?

(see the answer keys)

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