View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do Hannah's parents do for a living?

2. Why did Bo have to leave Holy Cross?

3. What is Ron handing out for Halloween?

4. What movie do Mitch and Willowdean watch in Chapter 33?

5. How does Willowdean get to school in Chapter 27?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Ron come to the Chili Bowl one night?

2. What conversation do Rosie and Willowdean have when Rosie learns that Willowdean is entering the pageant?

3. What does Bo's mom look like in her wedding photograph, and what does Lorraine say about her?

4. What does Rosie tell Willowdean about their finances in Chapter 36?

5. What does Ellen say when Willowdean asks her not to enter the pageant?

6. Who is at Willowdean's house when she gets home in Chapter 31, and why?

7. In Chapter 28, why does Willowdean not tell her mother that she is entering the pageant?

8. How did Bo get and lose his scholarship to Holy Cross?

9. What does the dress look like that Rosie finds at a thrift shop for Willowdean, and how can it be made to work for her?

10. What happens at the last house where Mitch and Willowdean go trick-or-treating?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The setting in a book is the place or places where the action takes place. Where does Dumplin' take place? Is the setting simply a backdrop to the story and characters or does it take on the role of a character?

Essay Topic 2

Willowdean is very overweight. How does Willowdean seem to accept herself at the beginning of the novel? How does being with Bo change how she perceives herself? How does her body image change throughout the novel? Is she content with who she is when the book ends?

Essay Topic 3

Willowdean tells the story of a pivotal year for her. Why is Willowdean’s story a search for her identity? How do the events in the book help Willowdean mature and grow in the novel? How does learning who she is help her grow and change?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,110 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample