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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. According to Rufus in Chapter 8, Sister Paul might be able to help Sportcoat do what?

2. Where does the first chapter of the novel take place?

3. According to the narrator in Chapter 7, in what year did the ants originally come to America?

4. How old is the Elephant, as revealed in Chapter 5?

5. How is Earl injured in Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Hettie? What are the circumstances surrounding her death, as revealed in Chapter 1?

2. What happens between Officer Potts and Sister Gee in Chapter 9?

3. What changes is Bunch considering making, as revealed in Chapter 6?

4. Who is Bunch Moon? What does he think about Deems in Chapter 6?

5. Who is Jet and what important information has he learned about the Cause, as revealed in Chapter 3?

6. What happens to Earl in Chapter 8?

7. Who is Rufus? What does the reader learn about him in Chapter 8?

8. Who is Sister Paul? What information might she have for Sportcoat, as revealed in Chapter 8?

9. What various misfortunes have befallen Sportcoat, as explained by the narrator in Chapter 2?

10. What fear does the Elephant have in Chapter 11? Why does he feel this way?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the end of the novel, is Sportcoat victorious or defeated? Answer, supporting your claim with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing how the author uses characters and behaviors to develop and strengthen the theme of trust.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the author’s choice to tell this story by using a third-person, omniscient perspective. How does viewing the action through the eyes from an omniscient narrator affect the story? How would the book be different if the story was told through a first-person perspective?

(see the answer keys)

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