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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. What does Marcus ask Will about in Chapter 20?

2. What does Fiona tell Will in Chapter 17?

3. Why does Suzie yell at Will in Chapter 23?

4. What does Rachel suggest she do in Chapter 30?

5. Where does Will find Marcus at the beginning of Chapter 27?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Will feel hesitant about helping Fiona in Chapter 30?

2. What does Will tell Marcus in Chapter 20 when Marcus tells Will about his run-in with Ellie?

3. How does Marcus defend his visits to Will's house in Chapter 17?

4. Who is Rachel?

5. What makes Will unhappy enough to skip Christmas in Chapter 18?

6. What shocks Marcus' classmates in Chapter 21?

7. What does Will confess to Rachel in Chapter 28?

8. Who is Ellie? What do Ellie and Marcus talk about in Chapter 19?

9. What happens outside a news agent in Chapter 27?

10. What deal do Marcus and Will make in Chapter 26?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Hornby's use of foreshadowing. What are some examples of foreshadowing in the novel? Why does Hornby use foreshadowing?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss depression and suicide as depicted in the novel "About a Boy". Why does Fiona attempt suicide? How does her depression and attempted suicide impact Marcus? How is Kurt Cobain's suicide and depression depicted in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Hornby's use of irony. What are some examples of irony in the novel? How do these examples affect the reader's experience when reading the novel?

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