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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. Who does Debbie think would want to know Hector's mother's recipe?

2. Where are Debbie's mother's mementos?

3. What drops out of Russell's jacket pocket?

4. How does Mrs. Bruning feel about going into assisted living?

5. How does Mrs. Bruning feel about Debbie's action in question #101?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Debbie comes to Mrs. Bruning's house on Saturday immediately after Mrs. Bruning awakens?

2. Why are Phil, Debbie, Lenny and Hector sitting on a curb, what are they doing and what are they talking about?

3. How do both Hector's and Mrs. Bruning's hairstyles change in Chapter 20?

4. With what class is Patty struggling and what does she feel from the knowledge she has learned in this class?

5. What does Debbie hear her mother telling a friend about Debbie's upcoming summer?

6. What are Debbie and Patty doing while looking at the yearbook and what is Debbie thinking about when she looks at her own picture in the yearbook?

7. What is Lenny doing in Chapter 22 while Debbie is in the backyard reading and what saddens him when he goes into his house and comes back out?

8. What subject does Peter's father approach with Mrs. Bruning and what is her response?

9. What does Debbie think of Dan Persik?

10. What is Mrs. Bruning's response about Debbie, and what does Mrs. Bruning give Debbie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Over the course of "Criss Cross", Debbie grows as a person in both complexity and understanding. "Criss Cross" might be considered a slice of Debbie's larger story of her "coming of age." It might be said that the book is a "bildungsroman" of Debbie. Discuss the following:

1. Define Bildungsroman, or "Coming of Age," and give several examples from literature you have read.

2. Trace and analyze the character of Debbie as she changes from a more carefree, innocent girl to a wiser, older teen. What are the significant events that change Debbie?

3. After thoroughly analyzing Debbie's growth throughout the book, do you think "Criss Cross" could be considered Debbie's Coming of Age story? Why or why not?

4. Are there any other characters in "Criss Cross" who go through a Coming of Age experience? Who? Why do you think so?

Essay Topic 2

Often, authors will write about "what they know," and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the books more interesting. Discuss the following:

1. Research and give a brief biographical sketch of Lynne Rae Perkins.

2. What in Perkins's background may have helped her in writing "Criss Cross"? What may have influenced the way she depicts various characters and scenes?

3. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his/her novels? Why or why not? Give examples.

Essay Topic 3

Hector learns that girls, rather than bluntly stating their feelings, may sometimes develop schemes in order to avoid boys, as experienced through his excursion with Rowanne. He also begins to understand that girls his age are in a process of evolution, like the caterpillar to the butterfly, and that he, too, will be changing, although he does not see his change as exotic or as pleasing as the one for the girls he knows.

1. Do you think Hector's belief about girls is correct? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Discuss, in depth, Hector's comparison of teens and caterpillars. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Why do you think Hector sees the changes that will occur in girls more pleasing than in himself, or probably in most boys? Do you think a heterosexual girl would feel the same way? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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