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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. Which Georgia town is Bruce from?

2. According to the story that Henry tells Dutch, why did he and Bruce go to Bruce's parents' house?

3. Why does Bruce surrender in World War II?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Who is Katie and why does she call Henry?

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

5. What does Henry do as he hears the phone ringing in Chapter 1?

6. Why does Bruce call Henry in Chapter 1?

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

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

9. How do Henry and Holly communicate while he is traveling with Bruce?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bang the Drum Slowly is preceded by the book, Southpaw, which was also written by Harris in Henry's narrative.

1) Describe three examples of how Southpaw is referenced in the book.

2) Explain why the character introductions in Bang the Drum Slowly are different than other fictional works.

3) Analyze the effect that a previous book with the same characters can have on the writing of fiction.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the relevance of perception vs. reality in the book by describing the reputation of three characters, how those characters would like to be perceived, and when/if the perception of a person is important in reality.

Essay Topic 3

Examine the balance that Harris provides with the events in the book by describing three examples of how one event balances another. Also, explain what the balance of events adds to the plot, the characters, and the overall message of the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 772 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample