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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the new sign on the train platform say when Joey and Mary Alice get off at Grandma's in "A One-Woman Crime Wave"?
(a) "The Great War is Upon Us. Pray!"
(b) "Drifters Keep Moving: This Means You."
(c) "Welcome to the Centennial Celebration!"
(d) "75 Miles to St. Louis; Rides $10."

2. What is Grandma Dowdel holding in her hand when Joey rushes in after hearing Mary Alice screaming in the kitchen, in "The Mouse in the Milk"?
(a) A bottle of milk.
(b) A dead fish and a hatchet.
(c) A mouse in a mousetrap.
(d) A shotgun and a handkerchief.

3. Why does Grandma Dowdel refuse to take her pie and register it at the Domestic Services tent as soon as she arrives at the fair in "The Day of Judgment"?
(a) Because it is too cold in the tent.
(b) Because she distrusts the other competitors.
(c) Because the pie will melt.
(d) Because the livestock draws flies.

4. What is the name of the dairy delivery boy in "The Mouse in the Milk"?
(a) Ernie Cowgill.
(b) Jack Cowgill.
(c) L. J. Weidenbach.
(d) Peter Cowgill.

5. What does Grandma Dowdel win at the cooking competition at the fair in "The Day of Judgment"?
(a) A red ribbon.
(b) A blue ribbon.
(c) A yellow ribbon.
(d) A $25 gift certificate.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Grandma Dowdel assert Jesse and Frank James are from in "Shotgun Cheatham's Last Night Above Ground"?

2. Why does Grandma Dowdel say to "Never trust an ugly woman" in "Shotgun Cheatham's Last Night Above Ground"?

3. Who is described in "Shotgun Cheatham's Last Night Above Ground" as "A real old, humped-over lady with buck teeth" and crossed eyes that had been the telling the reporter tales at the cafe in town?

4. Why was Grandma Dowdel thrown out of school when she was young?

5. Who does Grandma Dowdel give her extra catfish to in "A One-Woman Crime Wave"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Grandma Dowdel describe "the truth" of Shotgun Cheatham and how he got his name?

2. Who is Grandma Dowdel's biggest opposition in the cooking contest at the fair in "The Day of Judgment"? How is this character described?

3. What story does Grandma Dowdel give to the city reporter about Shotgun Cheatham? Why?

4. What purpose does the novel's Prologue serve? What information is related in the Prologue?

5. What is the "moral of the story" based on Grandma Dowdel's actions in “A One Woman Crime Wave"?

6. How does Grandma Dowdel overcome her adversaries at the end of “A One Woman Crime Wave"?

7. How does Grandma Dowdel trap the Cowgill brothers in "The Mouse in the Milk"? What does she tell Joey to do once she has them trapped?

8. How old are Joey and Mary Alice when they first visit Grandma Dowdel? How do they travel to see her?

9. Where are the stories in A Long Way from Chicago set? During what time period do the stories take place?

10. What items do Mary Alice and Joey Dowdel bring with them on their trip to Grandma's in "The Mouse in the Milk"? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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