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. In "Sol Painting, Inc.," what sport are the girls outside practicing?

2. In "How to Transform," where does the narrator decide to spend his summer?

3. In "The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn," where do Isaiah and his family move?

4. In "The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn," where does Isaiah spend his free time?

5. In "The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn," how old is Isaiah's little sister?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain why Tianyi in "The Difficult Path" insists that Bisi is "too plain" to trade to other pirates.

2. In "Secret Samantha," what is being said about Blade during her first day at the new school?

3. In "Secret Samantha," describe Blade's first appearance.

4. In "The Beans and Rice Chronicles," what happens between Isaiah and Mrs. Fisher?

5. In "Sol Painting, Inc.," what does Merci plan to do when she grows up?

6. In "Sol Painting, Inc.," what does Roli want to be when he grows up?

7. In "The Difficult Path," how does Lingsi feel about the donkey ride she takes to the temple and what she sees along the way?

8. In "The Beans and Rice Chronicles," who is Mr. Shephard?

9. In "The Difficult Path," how is it that Lingsi finally learns to read?

10. In "Secret Samantha," how and why must Secret Santa change?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose two or more stories from this collection in which female characters are treated poorly at least in part because they are female. Then write an essay in which you compare/ contrast how these female characters are treated and what the writers seem to be saying about society's treatment of females in general.

Essay Topic 2

All of the stories in this collection involve both kids and their parents. Choose any two stories and compare/ contrast the way the writers deal with the relationship between children and parents.

Essay Topic 3

Choose at least two stories from this collection in which the characters have lost a parent. Write an essay in which you compare and contrast how these losses affect the main characters and how the writers seem to use these tragedies to shape the messages of their works.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,171 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample