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. Why does the author say he felt the stigma of being poor more acutely?

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

3. What did the author's mother buy for him that he rejected, saying they were the "wrong kind"?

4. How much education does the author say his mother had when she married?

5. What did the author receive for making the fifth-hour class the best unit in the school?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did new glasses help the author in school?

2. Describe the plan the author's mother devised to help him improve his grades.

3. How was the author's family life after his father left?

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

5. How was the author's new neighborhood in "Eight Years Old" different from his old one?

6. What experience at college helped the author wash away some of his cockiness?

7. What are the reasons the author gives in "A Serious Step" for not being ready for love?

8. Describe capping.

9. How did the author's mother respond to his announcement that he wanted to become a doctor?

10. In "A Terrible Temper," what led the author to hit Jerry over the head with a lock?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What conflict might the author face as he grows in popularity and can no longer meet each demand? How does he turn away patients? How might he reject speaking engagements he has been invited to?

Essay Topic 2

Is the author successful because of his hard work or his faith? Compare the author's beliefs about his success to a personal analysis.

Essay Topic 3

Why does the author feel that some rules can be broken? What rules does he break in his career? How does breaking rules make him more successful than if he he only followed guidelines set by others?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 955 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample