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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 Chapter VII, "Time Drags When You're Miserable," what unexpected thing does Scott do?

2. In Chapter X, "Transformations," who stops Ms. Udell from coming to scold Melissa?

3. In Chapter VIII, "Some Jerk," what does Jeff accuse Rick of being?

4. In Chapter XI, "Invitations," what memory from Melissa's early childhood do she and her mother talk about?

5. In Chapter IX, "Dinner at Arnie's," what does Kelly jokingly suggest Melissa will use as a defense against bullies?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter IX, "Dinner at Arnie's," how does Kelly's phone call highlight how unsupportive Melissa's mother has been?

2. At the end of Chapter VII, "Some Jerk," what punishment and what advice does Melissa receive from her principal?

3. In Chapter X, "Transformations," how does Melissa feel about her performance as Charlotte, and why?

4. When Kelly begins trying to pose Melissa for pictures again, in In Chapter VII, "Some Jerk," what does Melissa say?

5. In Chapter XII, "Melissa Goes to the Zoo," what is thematically important about the trip to the bathroom at the zoo?

6. In the beginning of Chapter IX, "Dinner at Arnie's," what is Melissa's mother trying to say when she comes in and talks to Melissa in her bedroom?

7. In Chapter X, "Transformations," how does Melissa's mother react to her performance?

8. In Chapter XII, "Melissa Goes to the Zoo," what preparations has Kelly made for Melissa's arrival, and what do they show about how Kelly is thinking and feeling?

9. In Chapter XII, "Melissa Goes to the Zoo," what activity from earlier in her childhood does Melissa engage in, and what does this show about her feelings?

10. In Chapter IX, "Dinner at Arnie's," what does Scott assume about Melissa's identity, and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter III, "Acting is Just Pretend," pages 29-30, there is a description of Kelly's father "cleaning." Read this passage carefully and then write a brief essay that answers the following questions: How does the narrator's tone differ from Kelly's and her father's? What is the significance of these two different tones?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter VIII, "Some Jerk," there is a dramatic scene where Jeff and Rick use direct violence at Melissa. What function does the scene serve in the novel, and what larger social issue is being portrayed here in a brief, less graphic way?

Essay Topic 3

Melissa has tried several times to tell her best friend that she is really a girl. Trace her attempts throughout the first six chapters of the novel; explain how the attempts change over time and what obstacles Melissa is facing when she tries to make herself known. Be sure to consider what has changed by Chapter VI, "Taken," when she finally shares the truth with Kelly.

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