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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. What do two boys steal from Nick when he leaves a game early?

2. What stand does Nick start watching games from when he turns 15?

3. What team does Arsenal play on the 17th of April?

4. Why does Nick spend his time working?

5. Why does Nick finally accept Arsenal's continental style of playing?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way is the crowd different in the North Stand?

2. Why is Nick grateful to his first girlfriend, Carol?

3. Why does Nick dislike talking to the players?

4. How does Nick think football helps in at this stage in his life?

5. How does Nick's interest in football help him to fit in at school?

6. What does Nick say he thinks about Pele?

7. How does Nick get closer to his father?

8. Why is the real reason Nick wants to leave the scout camp?

9. Why does Nick enjoy the violence he witnesses at games?

10. How does this section highlight the theme of not fitting in?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does Nick stopping smoking at the end of the book symbolize? What does it say about Nick's character that he was such a heavy smoker?

Essay Topic 2

What kind of person would Nick have developed into without football? What evidence is there that he would have developed into this person?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss elements of the narrative structure: Exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all of the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 753 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample