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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. How much money does the Blue Plate Special cost at the Coffee Pot Cafe in "The Phantom Brakeman"?
(a) 75 cents.
(b) 50 cents.
(c) 25 cents.
(d) 10 cents.

2. How late does Joe Dowdel's train leave the station in "The Troop Train"?
(a) An hour late.
(b) Two hours late.
(c) Thirty minute late.
(d) Three hours late.

3. Of whom does Grandma Dowdel say "You couldn't blast [her] off her place with a charge of dynamite" in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) Aunt Puss Chapman.
(b) Leota Shrewsbury.
(c) Effie Wilcox.
(d) Mrs. Vottsmeier.

4. What term refers to a book comprised of short stories, such as A Long Way from Chicago?
(a) Interactive novel.
(b) Allegory.
(c) Culinary novel.
(d) Composite novel.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of dancing lessons has Mary Alice been taking in "Centennial Summer"?

2. What kind of show is put on by the ladies of the United Brethren Church at the Centennial Celebration?

3. Who from the Ladies' Hospitality Committee for the Centennial Celebration has fallen ill with "female troubles" in "Centennial Summer"?

4. In what year is "The Phantom Brakeman" set?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the theme of family illustrated in “The Troop Train"?

2. How old are Mary Alice and Joey when they visit Grandma Dowdel in “Centennial Summer"? How have they grown as characters?

3. What exchange do Mary Alice and Joey witness between Vandalia Eubanks and her mother at the Coffee Pot Cafe in “The Phantom Brakeman”?

4. What childhood dream is Joey Dowdel pursuing in “The Troop Train"? How?

5. How has Grandma Dowdel's demeanor changed in the beginning of “Things with Wings"? Why?

6. When is “The Troop Train" set? Where is the story set?

7. What does the sign say that greets Joey and Mary Alice when they arrive at Grandma's town in “Centennial Summer"?

8. What is the significance of Nehi sodas in “The Phantom Brakeman”?

9. What does the narrator say about John Dillinger in “Things with Wings"?

10. What fight breaks out during the parade in “Centennial Summer"? How is the fight resolved?

(see the answer keys)

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