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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. Injun Jill says that she knows that Sammie has been spending time with whom?

2. Why are Dencey and Sammie worried about the reading lessons?

3. What is Injun Jill's quest?

4. What is Sammie's demeanor when Dencey shows him the chart?

5. Whom does Sammie come to think is his mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is advertised on the poster tacked to a tree, and why is Aunt Susanna so appalled to find Dencey reading it?

2. What does Sammie grow to like about being in the Coffyn house, and what does Sammie realize that he has always craved for his life?

3. How has Sammie changed within himself? What changes do other people note about him?

4. What is Lovesta's punishment by the Committee for Sufferings for not allowing them to take Lydia's crimson rug from her home?

5. What is Dencey's punishment for not refusing to see Sammie again?

6. What location does Sammie suggest for his reading lesson with Dencey? Why does he feel ill at ease there?

7. Why does the fire alarm ring in the morning, and why does Lydia hold Sammie responsible for the trouble?

8. What has happened to Lovesta after her years of punishment?

9. What is Sammie's response when Dencey brings the alphabet poster chart for Sammie?

10. What could be driving Injun Jill's behavior regarding Sammie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the significance of the book's title. What does the author mean by calling it simply DOWNRIGHT DENCEY. What is she trying to emphasize with this emphatic style? Suggest three alternate titles for this book with supporting rationale for each one.

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Injun Jill. What did she look like? What were her positive personality traits? What were her dreams and fears? What was most valuable to her in her world?

Essay Topic 3

The author used more than one iteration on the theme of loss. Identify at least two examples about loss in the book and then explain why the examples support the theme.

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