View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Grandma know the child is a Burdick?

2. Royce and Mary Alice awkwardly meet, and there is obvious _________.

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

4. Mrs. Weidenbach and the DAR ladies arrive and are ____________ the women's presence.

5. Mary Alice has managed to shed the "____________" reputation.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Grandma do to pay the bills and survive during the Great Depression? How is this foreshadowed?

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

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

4. 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?

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

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

7. How do Ina-Rae and Mary Alice get back at Carleen? Why do they do it in this way?

8. 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?

9. Why is this man in town? What does Grandma think of this?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Christmas season brings many surprises.

Part 1) What are the Christmas season surprises? How does each surprise come about? How are these surprises significant to the plot and/or character development?

Part 2) How is surprise an important aspect of this book? What other surprises take place throughout this book? What are the purposes of all these surprises? How are various characters change by the surprises in this story?

Part 3) What surprises have been significant in your own life? How have you been changed by surprise events? How can you relate to the characters in this book, regarding surprising events?

Essay Topic 2

This book is a work of historical fiction.

Part 1) What details in the book make it a work of historical fiction? How are these details important to the story? How are they also important to the reader? Would this boo be as enticing and engaging without these historical facts? Why or why not?

Part 2) Why might someone choose to write a work of historical fiction? What is the purpose of all works of historical fiction? What is your opinion of historical fiction? Why? Has your opinion of historical fiction been influenced by reading this book? Why or why not?

Part 3) What is your favorite genre? Why?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,148 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample