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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. Of Grandma Dowdel, Joey says in "The Mouse in the Milk," "You didn't want to hang around her too close, or she'd" do what?

2. How old is Mary Alice during her trip to Grandma Dowdel's in "The Day of Judgment"?

3. Who stops to use Grandma Dowdel's privy before heading home in the end of "The Mouse in the Milk"?

4. What is the name of the cafe that is the center of gossip and news in Grandma Dowdel's town?

5. What does Grandma Dowdel lend to Mr. Cowgill to whip his sons in "The Mouse in the Milk"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator describe the process of preparing Grandma's pie in "The Day of Judgment"?

2. What does Grandma Dowdel do with her remaining fish in “A One Woman Crime Wave"?

3. Where does Grandma Dowdel take Joey and Mary Alice to go fishing in “A One Woman Crime Wave"? How do they fish?

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

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

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

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

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

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Grandma Dowdel's house and town differ from the home where Joey And Mary Alice live? How would you compare Grandma Dowdel's actions and morals with those of Joey and Mary Alice's parents? What are some morally questionable things that Grandma Dowdel does in the stories?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of forbidden love in “The Phantom Brakeman.” What character embody this theme? Why is their love forbidden? How do these characters overcome the obstacles that they face from the community?

Essay Topic 3

What inspires Grandma Dowdel to go in search of Uncle Grady Griswold in “Centennial Summer"? How does Uncle Grady appear when Grandma Dowdel and the children arrive? Where does he live? Who does he live with?

(see the answer keys)

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