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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 is the family's pet name for Nic's little brother Jasper?

2. What is the name of the girl with whom Nic is enamored in sixth grade?

3. Part II begins with an epigraph from which play by William Shakespeare?

4. How does Nic get out of jail the first time he is arrested?

5. Who owns a small cabin in Inverness, California?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what purpose does David Sheff use an allusion to the film Welcome to the Dollhouse at the opening of Chapter 6?

2. What is the author's purpose for using a quote from The Tempest as an epigraph for Part II?

3. Which of Nic's childhood heroes commits suicide?

4. How is the theme of duality demonstrated in David's discussion of Nic's behavior with his younger siblings?

5. What is the strongest evidence of Nic's negative feelings about his parents' divorce?

6. What advice do many "drug counselors tell parents" of David's "generation" (52) with respect to drug use and honesty?

7. Describe the setting depicted in the introduction.

8. What pattern does David note in Nic's literary tastes in high school?

9. What is the symbolism of the word everything?

10. Discuss Sheff's purpose for providing statistics about methamphetamine use in the introduction.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's treatment of truth, lies, and hypocrisy within David Sheff's memoir Beautiful Boy.

Essay Topic 2

How is the theme of family bonds portrayed in David Sheff's memoir Beautiful Boy? Examine Sheff's treatment of and messages regarding family bonds throughout the book.

Essay Topic 3

How is the theme of deception portrayed in David Sheff’s memoir? Examine the author's treatment of and messages regarding deception throughout the work.

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This section contains 960 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample