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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. What kind of game are the boys playing on the train in "The Troop Train"?

2. What is the name of Junior Stubbs's father?

3. How old does Mrs. Weidenbach claim her father is in "Centennial Summer"?

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

5. When was John Dillinger killed?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Why does Joey ask Grandma Dowdel for two dollars in “Things with Wings"? What is Grandma's response?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Grandma Dowdel switch the labels on the pies in "The Day of Judgment"? Does Grandma Dowdel achieve her objective by committing this action? Why or why not? How does Joey perceive Grandma Dowdel's action in switching the labels?

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

Describe and discuss the characters of O. B. Dickerson and Earl T. Askew in the book. What are the actions, objectives, and obstacles of the characters? How would you describe Grandma Dowdel's relationship with these characters? What are Joey and Mary Alice's perceptions of these characters?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 866 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample