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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 are the names of Quinn's two closest friends?

2. Rashad has always been good at what activity, according to Rashad himself?

3. On what side of town does Quinn live?

4. How many times has Rashad been suspended from school?

5. Rashad believes that he would have straight As in school if he did not spend all his time doing what activity?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the section of the text entitled Zoom In and its format.

2. How does the news media gain access to footage of Rashad's violent arrest?

3. When Rashad wakes up on Saturday, he is told that he has been formally charged with three crimes. What are they?

4. What is the symbolism of the bucket of ice water featured in the section entitled Sunday?

5. What realization does Quinn make about the police officer involved in the melee outside Jerry's Corner Store on Friday?

6. For what reason does Quinn go to Jerry's Corner Store on Friday?

7. What two positions did Rashad's father David inhabit before he switched to an office job before Rashad's birth?

8. What does the photograph on the wall of Mother's Pizza symbolize and why?

9. What type of harrassment has Spoony experienced in the past and why?

10. What aspect of the barbecue's layout bothers Quinn and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose an object from All American Boys, such as the chips, the photograph of Quinn’s father, or some other symbolic object and discuss its overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text.

Essay Topic 2

Examine the effects of stress on the novel's characters and the coping methods each character uses to deal with emotional turmoil. Which characters' methods are effective, which are ineffective, and how do these varying levels of efficiency affect the messages sent by All American Boys within the text?

Essay Topic 3

Kiely and Reynolds introduce many historical references in the book, from Freddie Gray to the Harlem Renaissance. What do these references add to the text? How do they expand the universality of its themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 899 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample