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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. Where is David at in the beginning of his book?

2. David's grandmother is very hard on Stan. Why is David angry about her lack of patience with Stan?

3. What is the name of David's foster mother?

4. While talking to his father in the hospital, why does David say he joined the Air Force?

5. According to Aunt Jane, times were different in the past and nicknamed what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does David not understand the reason for his mother's abuse?

2. Why is David afraid of the nurse reporting the abuse to the authorities?

3. What does David realize while looking in the mirror at his grandmother's about his grandmother?

4. What is the only way that David knows how to deal with his father's death?

5. Describe the hug between David and his grandmother during their first meeting in years.

6. Why does David find out that his superior officers have been so hard on him?

7. Why is David so upset about his father being in the hospital?

8. David has the chance to leave for basic training in either one day or the following week. Why does David choose to leave in a week for basic training?

9. Why does David choose to stay at the dorms rather than go out with the other soldiers?

10. Why is David sweating while on the plane to San Antonio?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

David feels a lot of inadequacies in his relationships with others. Choose one of the following people from the novel and discuss David's feelings of inadequacy regarding that person. Why does he feel these inadequacies? What fuels these inadequacies for David and the individual chosen? Are the inadequacies played upon by the individual in the relationship with David?

-Patsy

-Marsha

-David's mother

-Stephen (his son)

-Any of his brothers

-David's first manager Jerry

Essay Topic 2

David's mother always refuses to admit that she abused him as a child. Discuss David's mother's reasoning behind her "discipline." Be sure to address the following questions as part of the essay:

-Why does his mother continue to deny the abuse?

-Why does she admit to stabbing him but only to say it was an accident?

-Does she justify her "discipline?"

-Is there anything from her past that would make her think that she really did not abuse David and that her "discipline" was normal?

Essay Topic 3

David searches for answers to his abuse throughout the novel. Discuss David's findings while addressing the following:

-Who tells David about his past?

-What person does David find out the most from?

-What conclusions does David come to about his past from the information he gets?

(see the answer keys)

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