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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 Sportcoat in Chapter 12, with whom is he really arguing all the time?

2. According to the narrator in Chapter 3, how long has Jet been undercover in Sportcoat’s neighborhood?

3. How does the Elephant learn about the shooting in Chapter 5?

4. What sport did Sportcoat once coach?

5. Which individual is Earl reluctant to leave, as revealed in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Earl? What reservations does he have, as revealed in Chapter 6?

2. How do the various residents of the Cause attempt to explain the shooting in Chapter 1?

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

4. What starts the brawl in Chapter 10?

5. What does Joe Peck ask the Elephant in Chapter 11? How does the Elephant respond? Why?

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

7. Who is Hot Sausage? What does he tell Sportcoat in Chapter 4? How does Sportcoat respond?

8. What is a mojo? How is the word “mojo” a fitting title for Chapter 12?

9. What happens to Earl in Chapter 10? How is this situation resolved?

10. Who is Thelonius Ellis? What do we learn about him in Chapters 9 and 10?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what ways is the novel a celebration of diversity? Evaluate the role of diversity in the novel, using textual evidence for support.

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

The antagonist of a novel is a character or force who works in opposition to the protagonist. Who is the antagonist of the novel? Deems? Bunch Moon? Haroldeen? Perhaps the antagonist is not a person at all. What do you think? Make a case for that which you believe best fits the criteria of an antagonist.

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