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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. Melody asks Jeff is life is very ____________ for him, though she then tells him not to answer and make her feel guiltier.

2. When the Professor retreats to his study after learning about Melody, what does he leave in the kitchen?

3. Then Melody tells Jeff that he is just like ______________ in the way that he waits for her to get him.

4. What did Jeff bring back for Brother Thomas from Charleston when he visited his mother?

5. Where does Jeff go on the day before he leaves his mother's home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Brother Thomas do when Jeff reveals he has not eaten dinner or breakfast?

2. What is the reason that Melody gives to Jeff for leaving him and the Professor?

3. What does Jeff learn about the financial situation between Melody and the Professor?

4. What does Melody tell Jeff about the river in Charleston when they are out exploring the tow?

5. What does Jeff do in order to feel healed and to feel at home once more?

6. What does Melody say when Jeff tells her that he gets only Bs and Cs in school?

7. What does Jeff, a second grader, find when he arrives home from school one early March day?

8. What does the Professor give to Jeff for Christmas, which causes Jeff to cry?

9. What does Brother Thomas announce when he comes over for Christmas dinner?

10. Why does Jeff feel disappointed about Gambo when he arrives to visit with her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

It is revealed that Jeff is actually a very smart man, though his mother and others were quick to point out his faults.

Part 1: Why do you think Melody wanted Jeff to feel as though he was not smart?

Part 2: Why do you think the Professor didn't push Jeff harder in school?

Part 3: Do you think Jeff was a smart student all along? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The introduction of Dicey seems to bring joy into Jeff's life, giving him a place to be comfortable and loved at the Tillerman home.

Part 1: Why do you think Dicey and Jeff get along so well?

Part 2: What do you think the relationship between Dicey and Jeff will turn out to be after the story ends? Why?

Part 3: Why does the Tillerman family take so well to Jeff?

Essay Topic 3

Professor points out at one point that all families that are happy are happy in the same way, but those that are unhappy are unhappy in unique ways.

Part 1: Do you think families can ever be completely happy? Why or why not?

Part 2: Why do you think unhappy families have unique experiences of being unhappy?

Part 3: Do you think the idea that families can be unhappy makes the unhappy family situation easier or harder? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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