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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. How many games each day does Bruce play with an amateur league?

2. What is Henry's initial reaction to what the doctors tell him about Bruce in Chapter 1?

3. How many doctors inform Henry of Bruce's condition in Chapter 1?

4. How many baseball seasons did Bruce play in college?

5. What does Bruce realize about the little irritations in life in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. What plans for the book does Henry discuss in Chapter 6?

2. Why does Henry leave a game of Tegwar in Chapter 8?

3. What description does Henry give for the small town country life of Mill, GA?

4. Which things does Henry discuss with Katie at the restaurant?

5. What happens when Bruce steals a base?

6. What clause does Henry insist be included in his contract?

7. How did Bruce start playing for the Mammoths?

8. How is Bruce's condition causing him to think about things differently in Chapter 4?

9. Why does Henry think that Bruce's father knows about Bruce's condition?

10. What does Henry do when he and Bruce are temporarily separated while touring?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bruce's illness demonstrates how a crisis can often bring out the best in even the most unlikely characters.

1) Describe the reaction of the other players on the team to Bruce's illness.

2) Explain which characters change the most and why the change could be considered surprising.

3) Analyze how a tragic situation can bring out the best in people in life.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of foreshadowing in literature, by detailing three examples from Bang the Drum Slowly.

Essay Topic 3

In literature, actual events are sometimes referenced in order to make the story seem more realistic.

1) Explain three examples of real events that are mentioned in the book.

2) Describe how the technical side of baseball is included in the book, and how you think baseball fans and people who do not know as much about the game would respond to it.

3) Analyze the literary reasons for real events in a fictional story.

(see the answer keys)

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