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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 Fulghum claim is the main objective of people who go to the tavern in Chapter 35?

2. In the beginning of Chapter 35, Fulghum states that he doesn't kill what?

3. What kind of pickup truck does Fulghum remember riding home in on a summer's eve?

4. In Chapter 18, what is the name of Fulghum's neighbor who lives up the hill from him?

5. After the motorcycle momma was done dancing with the Indian, what did the Indian dance with?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Donnie in Chapter 30, and why does he knock on Fulghum's door?

2. Describe Fulghum's ride home in an ancient pickup truck in Chapter 17.

3. Why does Fulghum tell the reader in Chapter 16 to not be mislead by the stories we hear of crookedness and corruption?

4. In Chapter 40, what happens when V.P. Menon arrives in Delhi to seek a job in government?

5. How does Fulghum explain how the people of imagination mentioned in Chapter 37 stand on one another's shoulders?

6. What does the author do in Chapter 28 when his cuckoo clock is not working properly, and what happens to the clock?

7. In Chapter 19, when Mr. Washington comes over to Fulghum's home and starts spraying the dandelions, what kind of discussion does this spark?

8. In Chapter 29, what does the couple that lives across the street from the author buy to ride on, and how does the couple ride it?

9. Describe Larry Walters' contraption that Fulghum mentions in Chapter 38 and what he has with him as he floats over Los Angeles.

10. In Chapter 33, what does Fulghum say is his first clue that Elias Schwartz is the new Haiho Lama?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 32, Fulghum discusses the clay tablet in the British Museum that contains a census. Discuss some of the facts that Fulghum talks about concerning the earth's mass and people as they relate to each other. Why do you think Fulghum discusses the mass of the earth versus people and the quality of people in the first place? What is Locard's Exchange Principle, and how does it play a role in Fulghum's story? What does Fulghum mean when he says, "We are the stuff of stars"?

Essay Topic 2

In the book, there are places when readers can learn interesting facts that they might not have known about previously. What things in the book are educational? What new things did you learn from the book? Was there anything you learned about that you had never heard of or known about? If so, what was it ?

Essay Topic 3

Fulghum speaks of his lawyer friend who says that we should just be and that life is all crap and it's all lies. Why do you think his friend feels this way? Why do you think someone who has been through so many experiences in life still thinks that his philosophy on life is wrong? Do you think Fulghum believes that life is "all crap" and that we should "just be"? Why or why not? Do you think Fulghum's lawyer friend is being cynical about life, or is he being more skeptical? Explain your answers, and use specific examples from the book to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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