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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 does Mary Alice feel about meeting Royce?

2. Final exams are coming up at school, and while a whiz at English and composition, Mary Alice struggled with __________.

3. Things are just about to go great when what happens?

4. Why does the chorus practice sound awful?

5. A terrified Arnold Green pads down the stairs. How does he explain this surprising event?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is Grandma's final surprise for Mary Alice? What does this reinforce about Grandma?

3. How does Mrs. Weidenbach act when Grandma agrees to bake the tarts, if the meeting is held at Grandma's home? Why does she react this way?

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

5. Why might the townspeople act this way toward this strange man?

6. What is one way that Grandma surprises Mary Alice during this holiday season? How is this important?

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

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

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

10. What is the final surprise in this chapter? Are you surprised by this? Why or why not?

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

Mary Alice and Ina-Rae conspire against Carleen.

Part 1) How do these girls use Valentine's Day to get back at Carleen? Why do they do this? Are they successful? Why or why not? What does this behavior reveal about Mary Alice at this point in the story?

Part 2) How else does Mary Alice begin to take a stand for herself and others throughout this book? Why does she do this? How does her behavior compare to Grandma's?

Part 3) How can you stand up more for yourself and others? Would you consider using tactics similar to those used by Mary Alice and Grandma? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

After arriving in town, Mary Alice is directly taken to high school.

Part 1) Describe Mary Alice's high school experience. How does it compare to your own school experiences? How was school in the 1930s like school today? How was it different?

Part 2) How does school become an important place for Mary Alice? How is she changed by her experiences at this school? Are these changes good or bad? Why?

Part 3) How have your school experiences changed you? Do you believe attending school is an important part of one's childhood? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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