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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 performance comes to town in Chapter 8?

2. What is Rachel's nickname within her family?

3. What does Izzy tell Rachel about the stone wall they see on their walk in Chapter 23?

4. What reason does Rachel gives for ending the interview for the school paper in Chapter 11?

5. What does Helena make for Mikey after school in Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Rachel feel about her family?

2. What does Izzy tell Rachel about his handprint in Chapter 29?

3. Describe the picture of Izzy and Eva that Izzy gives to Rachel.

4. Why are Izzy's houseplants so important to him?

5. Based on his actions in Chapter 12, is Lewis a sympathetic person?

6. Describe Rachel and Lewis's first interactions.

7. How does Rachel recognize Izzy's bad mood in Chapter 22?

8. How does Rachel's handling of Izzy's fall affect her parent's perception of her?

9. Describe Izzy and Rachel's bus trip.

10. Describe the dinner when Izzy cooks for Rachel.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Should the Coopers have told Izzy about the severity of his illness earlier, or was Dr. North right not to tell him since there was not a cure for his cancer? What determines whether it is right or wrong to give someone this sort of information? Under what circumstances would you change your answer?

Essay Topic 2

Many minor characters in After the Rain have a large effect on the direction of the plot line and the character development of the main characters.

1) Compare and contrast two minor characters that you think are most important to the development of Rachel or Izzy.

2) Take one minor characters from the story and write a proposal for a novel based on that character.

3) Which of these characters has the biggest and smallest impact on the story: Alice Farnum, Nurse Brandy, Coach Al, Mikey, the Minors, or Helena? Support you answer.

Essay Topic 3

Certain objects in After the Rain have significance to the story or certain characters. Select 3 items such as the jade plant, jelly beans, Alice's turban, Izzy's handprint, the bridges, dogs, or any others and analyze their importance in the story.

(see the answer keys)

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