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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. When was Obama elected president for the first-time?

2. What did Paul pay for a staff at a garage sale in Cicero?

3. What type of pet does the man who delivers water jugs to each floor of the dorm have?

4. In "Leaving and Asking," after Paul tried to hurt the man he thinks took his lover, what weapon does he want to because the staff did not work?

5. Where is Chester Dexter going when he asks Janice to leave with him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Janice decide to do instead of follow Claude to Missouri?

2. Where are Claude and Simone to work at the journalism office, and how is their space set up?

3. What routes does the bus take that Claude rides to Missouri and what does Claude see?

4. At the end of "Ohio," what does Paul tell Claude after dinner about leaving?

5. Who do Janice and Claude encounter in the office of Loka House?

6. What is the Prairie Executioner?

7. What meeting does Claude's RA have in "Icebreaker"?

8. What does Claude say happened to Chester Dexter?

9. What is Martin's Taco Palace like?

10. Why does Claude think that Whitney is scared in "The Prairie Executioner #2"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jonah moves into Claude’s neighborhood. Who is Jonah? What does Jonah begin to represent to Claude and Paul? Why is Jonah important in their lives?

Essay Topic 2

Claude decides to attend college in Missouri. Why does Claude decide to attend college in Missouri? Why does he feel that he has to leave Chicago?

Essay Topic 3

Allusions are figures of speech. What are allusions? How does the author use allusions? How can allusions be ambiguous references to people, places or things? Why might allusions be difficult for readers to understand and connect to ideas?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 925 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample