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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. Where does Marcus want Will to take him and Fiona in Chapter 13?

2. What does Will find unappetizing in Chapter 14?

3. Where does Marcus run into bullies in Chapter 7?

4. What does Marcus accuse Will of in Chapter 14?

5. What does Will ask Suzie in Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Will find himself looking forward to?

2. Who is Will introduced to in Chapter 8? What is Will's first impression of this person?

3. What does Will almost wish at the SPAT meeting? Why does he almost wish this?

4. Who is Angie?

5. What does Marcus conclude about his family in Chapter 11?

6. Why does Marcus try to turn off the film in Chapter 11?

7. How does Marcus find his mother when he returns home in Chapter 7? What does she tell him?

8. Describe Will's lunch with Marcus and Fiona in Chapter 13.

9. What happens to Marcus at the news agent's store in Chapter 7?

10. What does Will think of marriage and children?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the character Will. Who is Will and what are his defining character traits? How does he influence the life of the other protagonist, Marcus? Is he a good friend? How does he grow as a character by the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of family in the novel "About a Boy". Describe both Marcus' and Will's family. Is family important to Marcus? What does Marcus realize about family by the end of the novel? Why is this realization important for his character?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the fear felt by the main characters of the novel, particularly with the protagonists. What is Marcus afraid of? What is Will afraid of?

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