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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. When was John Dillinger killed?

2. Whose cow does Grandma Dowdel claim to have started the Great Fire of Chicago in "The Phantom Brakeman"?

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

4. From what station does Joe Dowdel ship out for basic training in "The Troop Train"?

5. During what historical period are the stories set in A Long Way from Chicago?

Short Essay Questions

1. What noise does Joey hear from Mary Alice's bedroom at night in “The Phantom Brakeman”?

2. What exchange takes place between Joey and Junior Stubbs by the privy in “The Phantom Brakeman”?

3. How is the winning performance at the talent show described in “Centennial Summer"?

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

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

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

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

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

9. What is the ghost story that Grandma Dowdel relates in “The Phantom Brakeman”?

10. How would you describe the style of language and dialogue in A Long Way from Chicago?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the narrator of the stories in A Long Way from Chicago. How old is the narrator as he relates the stories? How old is the narrator during his first visit to Grandma Dowdel's house? How does this character evolve in the course of the stories?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the setting of “A One Woman Crime Wave." How has the atmosphere of the country changed since Mary Alice and Joey's earlier visits to Grandma? How has Grandma's house changed? How is the setting of this story related to its plot and themes?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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