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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 do the letters of the game, Tegwar, stand for?

2. Why does Henry refuse to sign his baseball contract in Chapter 4?

3. Which day does Henry receive the phone call in Chapter 1?

4. How many years has Henry been playing baseball when the book begins?

5. Which things does Bruce remember when he thinks about the times he put his life at risk?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Dutch respond to Henry's contract negotiating?

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

3. As explained by Henry, how does Bruce begin playing sports?

4. Which types of employment does Henry have as the story begins?

5. Why are Henry and Bruce concerned about other members of the team knowing of Bruce's illness?

6. How does Henry respond to the information that the doctors are telling him at the end of Chapter 1?

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

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

9. How did Bruce start playing for the Mammoths?

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

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

Explain the reasons for why the popularity of Bang the Drum Slowly has been maintained for a number of decades, how the main themes of the book can be applied to people universally, and the effect that the book might have had on the game of baseball.

Essay Topic 3

Bang the Drum Slowly ends with Henry's decision to live life with new priorities.

1) Describe the changes that have taken place in Henry throughout the book.

2) Explain how Bruce has caused Henry to understand which things are really important in his life.

3) Analyze the new outlook that Henry has on life and the future.

(see the answer keys)

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