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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 did the man in Chapter 16 claim was the biggest irony of all during his theory testing?

2. Fulghum describes his neighbor's yard as looking like a combination golf course and what else?

3. In Chapter 34, Fulghum claims that the majority of stuff comes from two sources. What are these sources he is speaking of?

4. When the grumpy-looking man picks up his little gift and starts to walk toward the garbage, Fulghum mentions that it looks as if the man is carrying what?

5. Fulghum talks about a balloon that came from the gardens of Versailles carrying three things. What were those three things?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 31, what does Fulghum state he'll do on some December night when he is very rich?

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

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

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

5. How does Fulghum think people's attitude would be different if dandelions were rare and fragile?

6. In Chapter 36, what are some of the deadly mixtures that Fulghum and his newfound stranded friend discuss?

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

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

9. 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?

10. In Chapter 39, Fulghum talks about a list of mysteries that he keeps that's getting longer and longer as he gets older. What are two of these mysteries that he lists in the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Donnie's character from Chapter 30. Which of Donnie's qualities makes it hard for Fulghum to turn down his raking inquiry? What was Donnie's work ethic like? Even though Robert Fulghum didn't really want his leaves raked, do you think he was glad that he hired Donnie to help? If so, in what ways? Why do you think Donnie didn't charge Fulghum more money than his normal rate even though Fulghum's yard was abnormally full of leaves? What does this say about Donnie's character and desire to work? Explain your answers.

Essay Topic 2

How do you think Fulghum's interactions with children in his stories help emphasize the idea behind the book? How does Fulghum capture the innocence and honesty of children in his stories? Even in their worst form (when the boys are trying to kill all the moths) how does Fulghum still make the children he writes about endearing? Do you think Fulghum truly feels this way about children? Why or why not? Use specific examples from the book to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 31, what does Fulghum say is the perfect cure for feeling depressed and down about yourself? Why does he feel this solution will help? How does this solution help him? How do you feel about this solution, and do you think it would help you if you were feeling down? Why or why not? Do you think Beethoven was able to defy his deafness by creating such wonderful compositions? How do you think he was able to overcome his developing weakness? Do you think Beethoven thought of how inspirational his works would be to others? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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