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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 does the Blue Plate Special cost at the Coffee Pot Cafe in "The Phantom Brakeman"?

2. Who does Grandma say pieced the quilt that Joey and Mary Alice find in the attic in "Things with Wings"?

3. Who is the strict lady in charge at the rummage sale in "Things with Wings"?

4. Where is the rummage sale advertised when Joey goes into town in the beginning of "Things with Wings"?

5. Where does Joe Dowdel enlist in the military in "The Troop Train"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does Mrs. Weidenbach comes to ask of Grandma Dowdel in “Centennial Summer"? What is Grandma's reply?

4. Why does Grandma Dowdel send Mary Alice and Joey to the attic in “Centennial Summer"? What do they find?

5. What fight breaks out during the parade in “Centennial Summer"? How is the fight resolved?

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

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

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

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

Describe and discuss the character of Effie Wilcox in A Long Way from Chicago. How old is Mrs. Wilcox? What is Mrs. Wilcox's relationship like with Grandma Dowdel? How does their relationship change in the course of the narrative?

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 929 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample