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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Rick and Uncle Ed both acknowledge early on about Rick's future?
(a) That he will leave home and never return.
(b) That he will end up just like his father.
(c) That he will be stuck working hard for no money.
(d) That he will find a good job someday.

2. What kind of a man is Rick's brother, Mark?
(a) Hard drinker and fighter.
(b) Criminal.
(c) Family man.
(d) Hard worker.

3. What did Rick's father teach him that helped him get to his job as a reporter even though many saw him as a loser?
(a) To fight dirty.
(b) To get what you want out of life.
(c) To never take nothin' form nobody.
(d) To work hard.

4. What happened to the letters Margaret received from Charles while he was in Korea?
(a) She gave them to Rick when he gets older.
(b) They were burned.
(c) He threw them away one night.
(d) She shredded them.

5. What did Grandma Ab do the last time her grandchildren drove away with their father and mother?
(a) She held onto Rick and won't let go.
(b) She begged Rick's father to leave them be.
(c) She screamed and cried for them not to leave.
(d) She ran out into the middle of the road and stared.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Rick's grandmother die from?

2. Why did Rick tell his family's story?

3. Where did Margaret get her religion from?

4. Why did Margaret bury Rick's muddy sneakers?

5. What happened in the country store when Rick went in to buy drinks while working one summer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were some of the stories that Rick would tell in the book that he had covered as a reporter?

2. Why did the boys feel so out of place in their new home that their father moved them to when Rick was six?

3. What kind of an extended family does Rick have?

4. When did Rick choose to write this memoir and why?

5. How did false pride become an obstacle for Rick as a teenager?

6. How poor was Margaret while raising her small children?

7. What was the relationship like between the brothers?

8. What was the Korean War story that Charles told to Rick?

9. What did Rick come to realize at the Fraternity Christmas Party, and how did he feel about it?

10. What was the main reason for Rick writing this memoir?

(see the answer keys)

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