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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Grandma Dowdel's old tomcat live?

2. Why does Grandma Dowdel tell the milk delivery boy she won't need cream or milk delivered tomorrow in "The Mouse in the Milk"?

3. Who is the American Western film actor that Joey cites when he hears the explosion outside Grandma's house in "The Mouse in the Milk"?

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

5. How much of her homemade beer does Grandma Dowdel tell Joey to go fetch from the cellar in "A One-Woman Crime Wave"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens just before the tasting at the cooking contest in "The Day of Judgment"?

2. What does Joey ask Grandma Dowdel in the end of "The Day of Judgment"? What is her reply?

3. When is "The Mouse in the Milk" set? How have Joey's and Mary Alice's opinions of their yearly trip to Grandma's changed in this story?

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

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

6. What are Joey's perceptions of the biplane and pilot in "The Day of Judgment"?

7. How do Joey and Mary Alice feel about their trip to Grandma Dowdel's in the beginning of "The Day of Judgment"?

8. How are the sheriff and Chamber of Commerce president described when Joey, Mary Alice, and Grandma encounter them after fishing in “A One Woman Crime Wave"?

9. What does Grandma Dowdel coerce Mr. Cowgill to do to his sons in the end of "The Mouse in the Milk"? How does she coerce him?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the symbolism and imagery in "The Troop Train." What does Joey anticipate and what does he witness when he passes through Grandma Dowdel's town? What is symbolized by this imagery? What does it mean to Joey?

Essay Topic 2

What does Grandma Dowdel achieve by lying to the Peoria reporter in “Shotgun Cheatham’s Last Night above Ground"? How do Grandma's actions in this story impact the town where she lives? What are Joey and Mary Alice's impressions of Grandma's actions?

Essay Topic 3

Why has Effie Wilcox left on the train in the beginning of “Things with Wings"? What actions does Grandma Dowdel take in the story to bring Effie Back? Why does she want to bring Effie back to town?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,072 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample