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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. About what topic does David educate Nic and his friends when he drives them to school each day?

2. When Nic calls David after missing curfew and disappearing for a while, where is he?

3. Nic decides that his choice of college had been a mistake and that he would do better at what type of college?

4. At what time of day is Nic born?

5. Nic begins sixth grade at a new school in what location?

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 approach does David take in his stance with Nic about the topic of illicit drugs?

3. How is the theme of family bonds depicted within the scene of Daisy's birth?

4. Describe the setting depicted in the introduction.

5. How do the themes of secrecy and deception emerge within the memoir's introduction?

6. How does David react when he finds a baggie of marijuana in Nic's room?

7. How does David Sheff characterize his friend Charles?

8. What kinds of contradictory advice does David receive about Nic when Nic is getting into trouble as a teenager?

9. What is the symbolism of the word everything?

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

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

Discuss the connection Sheff draws between his own experiences as the father of an addict and the state of the opioid crisis plaguing twenty-first century America.

Essay Topic 3

How does David Sheff go about breaking the text into parts and how do these structural elements help to advance the memoir’s themes, mood, and argumentation?

(see the answer keys)

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