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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. When Antonia goes to visit her mother for the first time since she was hospitalized, what does Antonia take to give to her mother?

2. What award was Define Normal a finalist for?

3. Jazz feels about the polonaise like Antonia feels about what?

4. What personal item is Antonia's mother wearing when Antonia sees her in the hospital?

5. What does Ram look like?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain Dr. DiLeo's pairing up of Antonia and Jazz. Who was counseling who and what was the ultimate result?

2. What does Mrs. Luther threaten to do if Jazz quits the piano, and how does this threat affect Jazz?

3. How does Antonia defend her Dad's abandonment of the family?

4. What is Gregoire's effect on Jazz?

5. Explain Jazz's head art.

6. Why does Jazz think Antonia might not want to be seen with her?

7. Usually, Antonia hates heavy metal music, but after her mother was hospitalized, she listened to it at Jazz's house. How did she feel about it?

8. Why does Jazz skip the competition and quit the piano?

9. How does Antonia describe her sense of isolation and loneliness after seeing her mother in the hospital?

10. Explain why Antonia tells Jazz that her foster family are ugly, evil little gones who keep them locked up?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mrs. Bartoli is a complex character. Give two examples of how Mrs. Bartoli's behavior affected Antonia, and two examples of how her behavior affected Jazz. Argue that Mrs. Bartoli has or has not learned not to stereotype people by the end of the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Define the literary term "foil." Using this definition, give three specific examples of foils in the book.

Essay Topic 3

While Ram is a secondary character, he is integral to the book as a whole. Who is Ram? What is he like? What is his importance to the overall structure of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 934 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample