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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. How much money is offered from Grandma Dowdel's stovepipe hat at the rummage sale in "Things with Wings"?

2. How much does Ray Veech want Joey to pay him for a full driving course in "Things with Wings"?

3. What car does Joey describe as "shimmering in her loveliness" outside of Veech's garage in "Things with Wings"?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. How old are Mary Alice and Joey when they visit Grandma Dowdel in “Centennial Summer"? How have they grown as characters?

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

10. Where does Grandma take Joey and Mary Alice to see a movie in “Things with Wings"? What do they see?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

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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