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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 Colin do as he is waiting on the ground behind the convenience store?

2. Where are Colin's parents when they are first mentioned?

3. What does Colin say genius is?

4. What role does the clerk at the convenient store play besides as cashier?

5. How many times has this same event occurred to Colin in the past?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Lindsey go after interviewing Starnes?

2. What happens to Colin as they are following their tour guide behind the store and who helps him?

3. What are Colin and Hassan supposed to do that day and what do they accomplish?

4. What do all of Colin's former girlfriends have in common besides having dated Colin?

5. What is the notebook that Colin sketches in while waiting for the tour guide to return?

6. What does Colin overhear Hassan and Lindsey talking about and what do the three young people do that evening?

7. What do Hassan and Colin discuss concerning prodigies and geniuses?

8. What does Colin decide to do while waiting for dinner?

9. What does Hassan propose to Colin's parents and what do they reply?

10. What does Starnes say when Colin, Hassan and Linsey interview him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the following:

1. Who is/are the protagonists of the story and why? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Who is/are the antagonists of the story and why? Use examples from the story and your own life to support your answer.

3. Which 3 secondary characters have the greatest impact on the plot? Use examples from "An Abundance of Katherines" and your own life to support your answer.

4. Are any of the characters dispensable and which ones? Why or why not? Use examples from "An Abundance of Katherines" and your own life to support your answer.

5. Do you think this is a character-driven plot or an action-driven plot? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

1. What is foreshadowing? How many incidences of foreshadowing are in "An Abundance of Katherines"? How does foreshadowing contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadowing in "An Abundance of Katherines" including why you believe it is foreshadowing. Include examples from the book and your own life to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from "An Abundance of Katherines" and your own live to support your opinion.

Essay Topic 3

Often, authors will write about "what they know," and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the books more interesting. Discuss the following:

1. Research and give a brief biographical sketch of John Green.

2. What in Green's background may have helped him in writing "An Abundance of Katherines"? What may have influenced the way he depicts various characters and scenes?

3. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his/her novels? Why or why not? Give examples.

4. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

5. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Green's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Green's probable agenda concerning that idea.

6. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface? Why or why not?

7. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author? Explain your answer with examples.

(see the answer keys)

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