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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 Mrs. Zajac decide to work on with Claude for the rest of the year?

2. What did Mrs. Zajac think about the Science Fair while resting in the center of the gym?

3. When did the first five Puerto Rican families arrive in Holyoke?

4. What did Al say at the end of his talk to his teachers about the standardized tests results?

5. To what did Mrs. Zajac compare her Irish ancestors' immigration?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the history of Puerto Ricans in the town of Holyoke? How were they treated in the second half of the twentieth century?

2. How did Kelly Schools fare on the standardized tees the sixth grade took? How did Principal Laudato respond to this news? How did Mrs. Zajac respond?

3. Who among Mrs. Zajac's students was particularly excited about entering the science fair? What was the project? How did Mrs. Zajac feel about this student's participation in the science fair?

4. Who was the new child sent to Mrs. Zajac's class when school resumed after winter break? How did she get to Holyoke and Mrs. Zajac's class?

5. When was the science fair at Kelly School? Why was this event important to the students and their families?

6. What did Mrs. Zajac experience during her trip to Puerto Rico that surprised and delighted her? Why was this an important experience on the trip?

7. As the class approached spring break, how did Mrs. Zajac feel about her class? About herself? What were her parting words to Jimmy as the children leave for a week's break?

8. What kinds of behavior did Robert exhibit that concerned Mrs. Zajac? What did she want Robert's mother to do? Did Robert's mother follow through with this suggestion?

9. What did Mrs. Zajac and her family do over spring break? Who organized the experience? Why did Mrs. Zajac decide to spend her spring break this way?

10. What were some of the differences Mrs. Zajac noticed between the English Mass and the Spanish mass? What did she learn about the Puerto Rican culture by attending the bilingual mass Father Joyce offered?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who was Suzanne? What role did she play in Mrs. Zajac's life? Why did the writer tell us about Suzanne?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Mrs. Zajac and her student teacher Miss Hunt. Are there traits they share in common? What are some of the ways the two women contrast each other.

Essay Topic 3

Choose three of the children in Mrs. Zajac's fifth grade. How are the children similar? How are they different? Include social skills, cultural differences, levels of intelligence, family backgrounds.

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