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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 children's game do the workers enjoy playing with Eddie at the farm in Chapter 14: "Lost Years"?

2. How much do the workers get charged each night for housing in Chapter 9: “An Improvement”?

3. What is the name of Darlene's roommate in college?

4. What is Sirius's real name?

5. When does Eddie and Darlene's landlord remind Eddie that his mom is two months behind on rent in Chapter 6: "Your Own Cord"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What encounter is described between Eddie and Nacho Vasquez in Chapter 6: “Your Own Cord”?

2. What is revealed about Tuck's past in Chapter 12: “Obeah Juju”?

3. Where does Tuck say Darlene had gone when speaking to Eddie in Chapter 10: “Drunken Bum Knows”?

4. How does the narrator describe the journey in the minivan when Darlene went to Delicious Foods?

5. What do Darlene's yellow shoes come to represent symbolically to her?

6. How is Eddie's life in Houston described in Chapter 2: “Blackbirds”?

7. What led Darlene and Nat to transfer to a different college?

8. What are Eddie's circumstances as he drives the Subaru in the Prologue: "Little Muddy"?

9. How does Sparkplug describe Nat's murder to Eddie before he dies?

10. How did Darlene meet Nat?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the character of Eddie in the novel. How old is Eddie when the story begins? What has happened to Eddie in the prologue? What is the outcome for Eddie in the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of "hoodoo" or superstitions in the novel. What are some examples of characters believing in superstitions? How does superstition guide these characters' actions?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the narrative style of Delicious Foods. How does the narrative style transition between each chapter? Why does it transition? How does the author indicate who narrates each chapter?

(see the answer keys)

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