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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. In "Secret Samantha," what does Samantha get from her Secret Santa?

2. In "Secret Samantha," what does Samantha say are "pretty wicked"?

3. In "The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn," what happens when Isaiah tells Mrs. Fisher her breath stinks?

4. In "Secret Samantha," which present does Samantha decide to give to Blade first?

5. What is the name of the head secretary in "Sol Painting, Inc."?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "How to Transform," how does the narrator finally get into his first game?

2. Explain why Lingsi in "The Difficult Path" may have to marry FuDing.

3. In "How to Transform," why does the narrator decide to give up going to the gym, and what happens when he does?

4. In "Secret Samantha," how does Blade respond to the gift of the shoelaces?

5. In "Sol Painting, Inc.," what do Merci's business cards look like?

6. In "The Beans and Rice Chronicles," who is Miz Rita?

7. In "The Beans and Rice Chronicles," what are the stories Isaiah's father has written about?

8. In "Secret Samantha," what happens when Samantha goes to the mall with her mother to buy a gift for Blade?

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

10. In "The Beans and Rice Chronicles," how does the relationship between Isaiah and his mother erupt?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of these stories are told in an unusual way. For example, "Choctaw, Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains" is the story of someone telling a story; "Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents "is told in verse; "The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn" is told as a series of journal entries." Choose at least two stories from the collection and compare and contrast how they are told and how the storytelling method affects the stories' meanings.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you explain how the structure of "Choctaw Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains" influences the messages the writer is trying to convey.

Essay Topic 3

In an essay, discuss why you feel the author chose to write "Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents" in verse. How does writing it this way help him get his point across?

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