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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 book does Leigh say he bought at a garage sale in his February 28 letter to Mr. Henshaw?

2. In his February 9 diary entry, Leigh says that he got a letter from his dad postmarked from where?

3. What does Leigh say about Barry’s sandwiches in his March 5 diary entry?

4. Leigh writes in his February 7 diary entry that he went to a grove where what kind of butterflies gather?

5. What surprised Leigh about the book Beggar Bears, according to his letter on January 15?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Leigh describe buying at the hardware store in his March 3 diary entry? What does Leigh say about the man who works there?

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

3. What exchange does Leigh describe between himself and Mr. Fridley in his February 6 diary entry?

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

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

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

7. What is the tone of Leigh’s diary entries from January 31 and February 1?

8. How do Leigh’s diary entries change on February 6? What does Leigh relate in this entry?

9. What worries consume Leigh about his dad in his January 30 diary entry?

10. What frustrations does Leigh vent in his diary on January 20?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the characters and setting of Beggar Bears. Where previously in the novel did the author foreshadow the appearance of this book by Mr. Henshaw? How? What does Leigh think of the story? How does it compare with Mr. Henshaw’s other books?

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

Discuss the observations that Leigh makes in his phone call with his father on February 4. What does Leigh learn about his dog, Bandit? Where is Leigh’s dad located during the phone call? How long has he been there?

(see the answer keys)

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