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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 body part is the Bag Man missing?

2. How heavy is the new baby?

3. Who is Oly plotting to murder?

4. Why does Horst request large amputated limbs?

5. How do the twins keep their pimp quiet?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the result of the Bag Man's spying?

2. What does Norval report the followers are doing to survive, and how does Arty address this issue?

3. What does Oly see when she goes to massage Elly's muscles?

4. Explain Jonathan Tomaini's new role in the twins' adult life.

5. How was the Bag Man affected, mentally and physically, by his wife divorcing him?

6. Explain the business endeavor the twins take on when they turn eighteen.

7. How does Oly's relationship with Miss Lick begin to change in a way that Oly wasn't expecting?

8. Who is the Pin Kid, and what happens to him?

9. Why are the twins placed under house arrest?

10. What does Oly see when she hears Chick, Lil, and the twins screaming in the van?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The sick horse that appears on the twins' 14th birthday acts as the machine for many characters to take on new roles in the novel. In an essay, describe the different characters' reactions to seeing the sick horse and the way that either the appearance or the healing of the horse changed the roles of different characters. What does this horse symbolize in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Self-acceptance is a theme that runs throughout the entire novel and may essentially be the moral of this story. In an essay, discuss the ways that Oly has overcome her hurdles to accept her body. Explain the ways that Arty's refusal to accept himself led to some of his decisions, and

explain how you think the Binewski parents have helped/hindered their children in the road toward self-acceptance.

Essay Topic 3

As the novel progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that Arty has taken full control of his family. In an essay, explore the progression of Arty's gradual control of the family through the course of the novel. Explain what you think is the psychology behind Arty's need for control. Is he an inherently "bad" person, or is it something deeper that Arty is searching for? Choose one of Arty's siblings and express how his control has affected that sibling's life - either positively or negatively.

(see the answer keys)

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