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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. David describes hearing "cacophonous music like a" ( ) during his first time using crystal methamphetamine?

2. With whom did David first try crystal methamphetamine?

3. At what time of day is Nic born?

4. When Nic moves home from his first college, what is NOT a rule his parents insist that he follow?

5. After listing a myriad of impressions at which Nic is skilled, David says that Nic's best impression is of whom?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is the cause of David's resentment toward Nic, even though David knows that he has an illness?

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

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

6. Describe the setting depicted in the introduction.

7. What negative milestone takes place in Nic's life takes place just before Nic's eighteenth birthday?

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

9. What reason does Sheff provide for his decision to forego foreshadowing within the memoir?

10. How does David react when Nic offers him a hit of a marijuana joint when they are out on a walk together?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does David Sheff’s memoir Beautiful Boy utilize irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within the memoir and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the piece.

Essay Topic 2

What ultimate message is David Sheff's memoir Beautiful Boy sending about the nature and value of compassion?

Essay Topic 3

How does Sheff's use of the first person point of view serve the author's purposes over the course of the memoir Beautiful Boy? Discuss how the author's choice of point of view helps to advance the treatment of at least three particular themes within the text.

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