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

2. What are the instructions for gentlemen on the new banner at the train station in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) "Exit to the right of the station."
(b) "Grow a beard or pay a fine!"
(c) "Take your lady by the arm!"
(d) "Enter the physical strength contest!"

3. Who is the proprietress of the Coffee Pot Cafe?
(a) Mrs. Vottsmeier.
(b) Aunt Puss Chapman.
(c) Mrs. Effie Wilcox.
(d) Mrs. Ike Cripe.

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

5. How old does Grandma Dowdel say Uncle Grady Griswold is, in "Centennial Summer"?
(a) 93.
(b) 103.
(c) 95.
(d) 105.

Short Answer Questions

1. What term refers to a book comprised of short stories, such as A Long Way from Chicago?

2. In what year was Mrs. Weidenbach's father born?

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

4. How old is Joey Dowdel when he visits his Grandmother in "Centennial Summer"?

5. What is the name of the sequel to A Long Way from Chicago?

Short Essay Questions

1. What image of Grandma Dowdel is described by Joey when he sees her in “The Troop Train"?

2. How is the theme of friendship developed in the stories from A Long Way from Chicago?

3. What do Joey and Mary Alice discover in Grandma Dowdel's attic in “Things with Wings"?

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

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

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

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

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

9. What is implied by the conversation between Joey and Grandma at the end of “The Phantom Brakeman”?

10. How does Joey contact Grandma Dowdel in “The Troop Train"? What information does he relay to her?

(see the answer keys)

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