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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. From where does Aunt Fred come?

2. At which of the following does Demon get a job?

3. What article does Tommy show Demon?

4. What is the jersey number of the player who injures Demon?

5. In what mine does Bettina Cook’s family hold stock?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the general reaction to the September 11 attacks where Demon lives?

2. Why does Demon begin to draw a comic strip for the local newspaper?

3. In the novel, what does the term “smurfing” refer to?

4. How does Emmy explain June’s attraction to Kent?

5. What does Tommy do at the local newspaper?

6. What withdrawal symptoms does Demon suffer leading up to homecoming?

7. Why does Armstrong substitute in sixth grade?

8. What are the differences between grandfathers’ and grandmothers’ stories of working in coal?

9. Why does Dick spend his childhood in an institution?

10. Why does Angus deny that Demon’s selection as homecoming king is a pity vote?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the ending of the novel. Does it satisfy? How or how not?

Essay Topic 2

The lengths of chapters influence reading. What pattern of chapter-length is present in the novel, if any? What effect does the length of chapters have on the reading? How is the effect achieved?

Essay Topic 3

The protagonist remarks that “A kid is a terrible thing to be, in charge of nothing. If you get past that and grown, it’s easiest to forget about the misery and pretend you knew all along what you were doing. Assuming you’ve ended up someplace you’re proud to be. And if not, easier to forget the whole thing, period” (7). Does the novel support or belie the remarks? What in the novel shows as much, and how does it do so?

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