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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 does Katie leave in Chapter 12?

2. Based on Red's suggestion, what does Henry take the pills with?

3. Why does Henry decide that he is finished teasing people?

4. What does Dutch claim is the reason for the change in the team's playing?

5. Besides catching, which other aspect of the game does Red teach Bruce?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the difference in the way several players are treating Bruce since knowing about his illness?

2. How does Goose find out about Bruce's illness?

3. What is significant about the games of Tegwar Bruce is playing in Chapter 13?

4. Why are the players complaining about time, and how does Bruce respond to their complaints?

5. What decision does Henry make about life at the end of the book?

6. Why is the doctor delayed at getting to Bruce in Chapter 11, and how does Henry find out that Horse also knows about Bruce's condition?

7. How does Dutch finally discover the truth about Bruce's condition in Chapter 14?

8. How does Henry describe Bruce's last hit?

9. What happens after a rained out game when Bruce goes to the hospital?

10. How does Henry respond to Katie's threat and offer in Chapter 12?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

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 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.

(see the answer keys)

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