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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 Tamaya finds Chad in the woods, what is Chad's primary worry about his current situation?

2. What government agency does Dr. Peter Smythe work for?

3. What is Marshall feeling embarrassed about when he starts walking through the woods?

4. When does Mrs. Thaxton notice that Marshall is missing?

5. What mistake does Marshall make when he spots Chad and Tamaya in the woods?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Tamaya confronts Marshall on the basketball court, what makes it clear that the school nurse's treatment is not helping Tamaya's rash?

2. When they are in the woods together, what does Tamaya learn about Chad's story about the hermit?

3. How does Tamaya end up getting more fuzzy mud on her, and how does her response show her common sense?

4. What condition is Chad in when Tamaya finally finds him?

5. How does Chad feel that he is different from his siblings and from the other Woodridge students?

6. How does Tamaya's parents' divorce make her feel as if she is always missing something?

7. By the time Marshall is found by the searchers, which items of clothing is he missing, and why?

8. How does Marshall's behavior in Mrs. Thaxton's office contradict the decision he makes right before he goes in?

9. When they are in the woods together, what does Chad reveal is behind his anger toward Marshall?

10. What steps do Marshall and Tamaya take to warn the search party about the mud?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

For Chad and Marshall, learning to understand themselves and their intentions more clearly is a journey that reaches a turning point when they are in the woods together for the second time. But their journey does not end here, of course--there are still many more chapters of the novel to go. How do the remaining chapters of the novel demonstrate whether or not these two boys have been successful in learning to understand themselves better? Is there evidence that they have made progress by the end of the novel, or do they fall back into their old ways? Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about whether the things they realized about themselves in the woods have had a lasting impact. Support your claims with evidence drawn from throughout the text. If you use quoted evidence, remember to cite it in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

You have spent some time thinking about how Tamaya and Fitzman demonstrate opposite attitudes toward personal responsibility. But what about other characters in this book? Choose another character and write about their attitude on this subject. What things does the character do and say that show whether they think ahead about how their actions will impact themselves and others? When something goes wrong, does the character accept responsibility or try to blame the problem on others, or blame their circumstances? What message does this send about the importance of personal responsibility? Support your claims with evidence drawn from throughout the text. If you use quoted evidence, remember to cite it in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

How does Sachar use both flashback and flash-forward in this narrative? What is the difference between these techniques and the purposes they serve in this story? What similar purposes do they serve? Write an essay that analyzes how and why Sachar uses both techniques. Support your arguments with evidence drawn from throughout the book. If you use quoted evidence, remember to cite it in MLA format.

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