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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. A forlorn Mary Alice informs Grandma of ______________.

2. They scramble out of there, leaving behind what?

3. Before Grandma leaves, about what does she warn Mary Alice?

4. Mary Alice has to share a desk with whom?

5. Some ___________ come to the cobhouse and fall over the wire that Grandma strung.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Grandma do instead of participating in the sharpshooting competition? Why might she do this?

2. Why is Mary Alice afraid at night in her room? How does she deal with this fear?

3. What is burgoo stew? How might this represent life during the Great Depression?

4. How does Grandma get back at Old Man Nyquist? Should she have done this? Why or why not?

5. How does Mary Alice react to Mildred's plan for getting her dollar from Mary Alice? What does this reveal about her?

6. What does Grandma think about Halloween? Why does she feel this way? Why would the reader probably not be surprised by this?

7. What does Mary Alice bring to Grandma's house? Why does she bring this?

8. Describe the events surrounding Augie's attempt to impress Mary Alice. What does this reinforce about his character?

9. How does Grandma trick Mildred? What does this reveal about her?

10. Where does Mary Alice go directly after arriving in town? What is happening there when Mary Alice arrives?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mildred Burdick is a bully.

Part 1) How is Mildred a bully? Why is she a bully? How has this bad behavior been passed down through the generations in the Burdick family?

Part 2) How are others affected by Mildred's behavior? What happens to Mildred by the end of the book? What does this say about bullies? What might this also reveal about the author's opinion of bullies?

Part 3) How have you been affected by bullying? How have you dealt with bullying? How has society worked toward stopping bullying? Has it been successful? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The Daughters of the American Revolution meeting is used as a lesson.

Part 1) Describe the events leading up to the DAR meeting. Why is Grandma asked to participate? Initially, why did you believe she wanted to hold the meeting at her home? What takes place at this meeting? How was this foreshadowed?

Part 2) Why does Grandma decide to teach Mrs. Weidenbach a lesson? How is this lesson taught in typical Grandma fashion? Should she have put Mrs. Weidenbach in her place like this? Why or why not?

Part 3) Do you believe Mrs. Weidenbach learned a lesson? Why or why not? Might there have been a better way to teach Mrs. Weidenbach a lesson? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 3

Grandma hunts foxes to survive.

Part 1) Describe Grandma's hunting technique. Are you surprised by her decision to hunt foxes? Why or why not? How might she have come to be a fox hunter? What does this reinforce about her character?

Part 2) What is the purpose for revealing this in the story? How does this help to develop Grandma's character and her relationship with Mary Alice?

Part 3) How have other characters in this story adapted to the hard times of the Great Depression? How might you have adapted at this time to survive? What skills do you posses that would be useful?

(see the answer keys)

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