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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. From which city is the coach who tries to recruit Henry?

2. How many months has Holly been pregnant when Henry leaves for the hospital in Chapter 1?

3. Based on the positive reaction from a previous book, what does Henry plan to include in the current book he is writing?

4. Where does Holly leave to go back home as the baseball touring begins?

5. How many people are watching Henry's Tegwar game in Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. What side note does Henry make before leaving in Chapter 1?

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

9. What happens on Henry's trip to Rochester?

10. Why does Bruce call Henry in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

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

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)

This section contains 766 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample