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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. Arriving home, Mary Alice is surprised to see Grandma tramping around in the snow in rubber waders, hauling a basket full of what?

2. By the end of the night, the two have ______________.

3. Grandma discovers Arnold is a single man, and ___________.

4. Grandma also has a vial of ________ to attract the animals.

5. There are rumors of trying to do what to Arnold?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the most important part of the Christmas program? Why is it surprising that Mary Alice is chosen to play an important role in this? Why might she have been chosen?

2. How does Grandma initially respond to Mrs. Weidenbach's request? Why?

3. What is learned about Mrs. Weidenbach? How is this significant?

4. How do the townspeople treat Arnold after this shocking event? Why?

5. What is another way that Grandma surprises Mary Alice during this holiday season? How is this surprise important?

6. How has Mary Alice's relationship with the other girls changed? In what ways has it stayed the same?

7. Why does Grandma change her mind regarding Mrs. Weidenbach's request?

8. Who is the strange man who comes calling? Why?

9. How is Mary Alice's date interrupted? How is this foreshadowed?

10. How do the girls react when a new boy enrolls in school? How does Mary Alice act? Why might she act this way?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mary Alice is the main character.

Part 1) Describe Mary Alice. How does she change throughout the story? Why does she change? How do other characters in this story also change? What is Mary Alice's relationship with other main characters in the story?

Part 2) Mary Alice is also the narrator of the story. How does her narration affect the knowledge of the reader? How does it also influence the reader's opinion of other characters? How different might the story be if the narrator were not a character in the story? How different might the story be if Grandma was the narrator?

Part 3) What is learned about Middle America during the Great Depression through Mary Alice's eyes? Has this affected your view of life in the 1930s? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 2

"A Dangerous Man" touches upon the stereotype of spring.

Part 1) What is the stereotype of spring? How is this touched upon in this chapter? How does this stereotype affect the characters in this book?

Part 2) What is the author's purpose for focusing on this stereotype? How is this stereotype tied to other events and/or themes in this book?

Part 3) What is another story that focuses on this stereotype? What is the reason for this? What are the similarities between this story and "A Year Down Yonder"?

Essay Topic 3

Many in this town are stingy.

Part 1) Describe four characters in this town who are stingy. Why are they stingy? Would they be stingy if the economy were better? Why or why not?

Part 2) How does Grandma encourage these characters to be more giving? Are her tactics morally correct? Why or why not? What other tactics might be as successful? How?

Part 3) Would you consider yourself to be a stingy person? Why or why not? How can you be more giving to others? How can you and others benefit from your increased ability to give?

(see the answer keys)

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