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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. What does Leigh say he’s decided to save the money his dad sent him for in his February 9 diary entry?

2. What does Leigh describe white bread as tasting like in his March 15 diary entry?

3. Leigh concludes his February 5 diary entry by saying “I don’t like to think that Bandit is” what?

4. Who suggests taping a cardboard shelf in Leigh’s lunchbox so his sandwich won’t muffle the alarm?

5. Where does Leigh say he received a postcard from his father from in his January 19 letter to Mr. Henshaw?

Short Essay Questions

1. What progress does Leigh describe making with his lunch situation in his March 1 diary entry?

2. What does Leigh reveal about Mr. Henshaw’s advice in his letter from February 28?

3. What does Leigh describe as “the worst part” of his exchange with his dad in his February 4 diary entry?

4. How does Leigh describe his and his mother’s exchange after the phone call in his February 5 diary entry?

5. What does Leigh tell Mr. Henshaw about the writing competition in his letter from January 19?

6. Where does Leigh describe going on a walk in his diary entry from February 7?

7. What outcome does Leigh describe of his alarm invention in his diary entries from March 5 and 6?

8. What does Leigh relate about Mr. Henshaw’s new book in his January 12 letter?

9. What do the butterflies in Leigh’s February 7 diary entry symbolize in Dear Mr. Henshaw?

10. How does Leigh describe the butterflies when he first sees them in his February 7 diary entry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the differences noted in the text between Leigh’s letters and his diary entries. How does Leigh change the way he prints the date on each document? How does Leigh address his diary entries? Why?

Essay Topic 2

In Dear Mr. Henshaw, Leigh writes to his favorite author from second through sixth grades. Discuss Beverly Cleary’s use of language to depict the maturity of Leigh as he continues writing to Mr. Henshaw. For instance, what grammatical and spelling errors can you find in Leigh’s early letters? How do Leigh’s mistakes change as he gets older?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the books Ten Ways to Amuse a Dog and Moose on Toast. What similarities and differences are there between these books by Mr. Henshaw? Discuss the characters, setting, and plot of each story. What does Leigh like about Moose on Toast?

(see the answer keys)

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