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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. Who helps push Cece to tell Mike about her Phonic Ear powers?

2. For what reason can Cece not understand Martha when Martha is asking Cece what she would like from Long John Silver's?

3. For how many seconds does Cece hold her flexed-arm hang?

4. To what location does Mike invite Cece the day she tells him about her Phonic Ear powers?

5. For how many seconds does Ginny hold her flexed-arm hang?

Short Essay Questions

1. What unexpected benefit does Cece receive when trying out her new glasses for the first time?

2. Describe Cece's conflicted feelings about Mike's kind treatment.

3. At what realization does Cece arrive on the morning of the first day of fifth grade that causes her a lot of anxiety?

4. In what way does El Deafo play a role in Cece's decision to tell Mike about her Phonic Ear powers?

5. How is the theme of compassion depicted within the scene when Johnnie reluctantly apologizes to Cece for breaking her curly pencil?

6. What happens to break Cece's microphone for her Phonic Ear?

7. For what reason does Cece begin to laugh helplessly while onstage in front of the whole school?

8. What is the author's purpose for including allusions to Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons during Cece's first time visiting Martha's house?

9. When Cece again spends time with Ginny after a long time apart, what is one thing about Ginny that Cece says is the same and what is one thing about Ginny that Cece says is different?

10. Describe Cece's conflicted feelings about being alone.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of family bonds within Cece Bell's graphic novel memoir El Deafo. What is the author's message regarding family bonds and how do you know?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's choice to tell the story of Cece Bell's graphic novel memoir El Deafo using the first person point-of-view. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what is the author's intended effect on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Cece Bell's graphic novel memoir El Deafo. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the book.

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