View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Grandma think will help Frank's eyes?
(a) St. Anthony's spit.
(b) Washing them with salt water.
(c) Eating an onion boiled in milk.
(d) Closing them for three days.

2. Why does Mickey die?
(a) He is in a bad fight.
(b) He has pneumonia.
(c) He has typhoid.
(d) He has consumption.

3. When Michael is sick, how does Frank's father save him?
(a) He and Angela take the boy to church to be blessed.
(b) He sucks the mucus out of his nose so that he can breathe.
(c) He gives the boy a drink of beer to clear his sinuses.
(d) He rushes him to the doctor.

4. What kind of teacher is Mr. Benson?
(a) Quiet and timid, answering questions slowly and only when asked multiple times.
(b) Devoted to his Catholicism, but hates answering questions about it.
(c) Kind and nurturing to the boys and excited to talk about his faith.
(d) Selfish and greedy, refusing to teach the boys about Catholicism.

5. What job does Frank do with Pat Sheehan?
(a) Frank cleans Mr. Sheehan's lavatory.
(b) Frank delivers coal with Mr. Sheehan.
(c) Frank peels Mr. Sheehan's potatoes.
(d) Frank sells newspapers.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Frank excited to see when he is hospitalized the second time?

2. Why is Frank so understanding when his father is telling Oliver stories about Cuchulain?

3. For what religious event is Frank preparing for in Chapter 9?

4. What does Peter Dooley want to do when he grows up?

5. Why is the Meagher family too ashamed to go out?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 9, why is the family shamed when no telegram arrives?

2. In Chapter 9, Mr. Downes tells Angela that Malachy is drinking away all of the money in London. Why do you think this is so shameful to the family?

3. Grandpa McCourt sends the family money in Chapter 7, and Malachy spends it on alcohol. Why is this particular act more despicable than Malachy's others?

4. What does Frank miss most about the hospital when he arrives home in Chapter 8? Would you feel the same way?

5. What does Grandma's attitude towards first communion and first confession in Chapter 4 tell you about the role of Catholicism in their lives?

6. Chapter 1 begins the pattern of Malachy losing his jobs. To what extent do you believe he is responsible for this pattern? Is he a victim of fate, or do his actions cause these negative consequences?

7. Describe Paddy Clohessy's life as seen in Chapter 4. Do you think he is better or worse off than Frank?

8. Why does Frank feel sorry for the Spellacies in Chapter 7?

9. Describe the treatment of the boys in Frank's class in Chapter 6 by the teachers and headmasters.

10. Why does the man at the IRA office refuse Malachy and his family bus fare home in Chapter 2?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,122 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample