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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. About half of Mrs. Zajac's class was what nationality?

2. What was the name of the student teacher in Mrs. Zajac's class?

3. Who was Mrs. Zajac's most difficult student after Clarence?

4. What percentage of Kelly School children came from homes receiving some form of public assistance?

5. What did Judith do when she had finished her classwork and had extra time?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the concept of "dual captivity"?

2. In the first chapter, what does the reader learn about Mrs. Zajac? How old is she? How long has she been a teacher? Does she have a family?

3. Clarence continued to be a concern in Mrs. Zajac's class. What kinds of things did Clarence do that were of concern to Mrs. Zajac? How did these behaviors contrast with others in the classroom?

4. What were the work conditions for female teachers of the late 19th and 20th centuries?

5. Where was Mrs. Zajac born, and where did she grow up? What did her father do for a living? What was a unique quality about the town in which she was born?

6. Why did Mrs. Zajac allow her students to choose their own desks on the first day of school? What message did she want to send to her students? What did she learn about the children by allowing them their choice of seats?

7. How did the students respond to Miss Hunt's leaving the class once her student teaching time was over? How did Mrs. Zajac respond? Which students surprised Mrs. Zajac when they were sad to see Miss Hunt go?

8. When and where did Mrs. Zajac have time to grade her social studies papers? What trend did Mrs. Zajac see in her students' performance? Who in particular had made real strides in class and homework? Who had not done so well?

9. What were the afternoons like for Mrs. Zajac? Why were they easier for her?

10. What subject did Mrs. Zajac's students have on Wednesday afternoons? How was the behavior in the classroom different from other times as the students prepared their Halloween project?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The writer uses many different literary devices to create a dynamic picture of Mrs. Zajac. What different literary devices does the author use to create a three dimensional person of Mrs. Zajac? Give an example of each device you discuss.

Essay Topic 2

Mrs. Zajac took her fifth grade class on a field trip to Old Sturbridge Village and had two different agendas for the field trip. What were those two agendas, and how did she work to accomplish both? Why was this trip important to Mrs. Zajac?

Essay Topic 3

What are some of the qualities of a good teacher that Kidder presents through the teacher Mrs. Zajac? Are there any overarching qualities necessary to be a good teacher in Kidder's opinion? What are they and why does he believe those qualities to be important?

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