View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does the author credit for helping him control his temper throughout his life?

2. In "A Serious Step," what happened to cause the author's car to spin out of control near Youngstown, Ohio?

3. What job did the author recommend Candy try out for at his church in "A Serious Step"?

4. Why did the author withdraw his applications to medical school programs at Johns Hopkins, Yale, Michigan State, and Wayne State?

5. Who told the author he should "dress the way you want to be"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the author's relationship with his father, prior to his leaving the family.

2. How did the author's mother mask her mental problems?

3. What was the final event that led the author to break down and find determination to resolve his temper?

4. In "Two Positives," why did the author say he stopped hopping trains?

5. What study strategy did the author develop in his second year of medical school to help him learn the material?

6. How does the author learn about the arts in "ROTC Triumph"?

7. How does the author describe his mother in "Carrying the Load"?

8. What is the reason people say the author has "gifted hands"?

9. How did being poor impact the author in "A Boy's Big Problem"?

10. How did Mr. Jaeck nurture the author's gift for science?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Reflect on the author's "Think Big" acrostic answer to success. Is it a realistic approach to success? Why or why not? How might schools, communities, or cultures be different if everyone followed each idea?

Essay Topic 2

Why does the author initially object to working in Australia? What type of experience does he imagine, based on his fears? How is his experience there different from what he originally anticipated?

Essay Topic 3

How does the author change when he transfers to a predominately Black school in the eighth grade? How are his peers similar to his old classmates at Wilson Junior High? How are they different?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 935 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample