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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. How tall is Ian?

2. How many acres of land do Ian and his family own?

3. In what direction of town is the river?

4. When do Ian and his classmates get a substitute teacher in biology?

5. What is the name of Ian's school's biggest rivals in sports?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ian notice about his mom when Aunt Terry brings her home in Chapter 1, and what excuse does Aunt Terry give for Brandi's absence?

2. How does Ian get a dog?

3. When and why did things start going wrong for Ian and his mom?

4. What is the main reason Ian goes to see the school nurse?

5. Who is The Sharpe and what does she do for her students?

6. Who is Zach, and what are his plans?

7. What is deer baiting, and why did Gramps think it was wrong?

8. How did Drew's mother, Sandy lose custody of her son?

9. Why does Ian have to run to school in the rain?

10. How did Ian get his legal name?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

An allusion is a figure of speech that does not directly refer to a person, place, or thing. What are some allusions in Gather? Why might it be difficult to decipher an allusion just by the context of a passage in a book? How do the allusions Cadow uses help readers’ understanding of characters or concepts?

Essay Topic 2

Ian comes from a poverty-stricken background. Even though Sylvia's father has lost his job, the family does not lack anything. How would you compare the Henrys and the Paersons? What is revealed about families through the descriptions of the Henrys and Paersons' lives?

Essay Topic 3

Occasionally the narrator directly speaks to readers. This is called “breaking the fourth wall.” How does it seem that Ian is having conversations with readers throughout Gather? How do these conversations provide information to readers that characters may not be privy to? What is the purpose of breaking the fourth wall?

(see the answer keys)

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