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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Tom go to see Mrs. Fletcher after his fire-watch duty?
(a) Anne Hartridge is about to get a telegram.
(b) He wants advice about Willie.
(c) Mrs. Fletcher is about to get a telegram.
(d) He wants to speak with George.

2. What news is Carrie waiting impatiently at the gate to give Zach after his return from the sea?
(a) She has failed the high school entrance exam.
(b) George will not be attending high school.
(c) She has passed the high school entrance exam.
(d) Mrs. Hartridge has decided to teach high school.

3. Which is NOT one of the reasons that Zach is worried about his parents?
(a) He has not received a note from them at the vacation spot.
(b) They are in the middle of a show.
(c) They have new jobs helping with the war effort.
(d) There has been a blitz in London.

4. As March comes, what do the children get together to plan?
(a) A baby shower for Mrs. Hartridge.
(b) A visit to Spooky Cott.
(c) A breakfast for Tom.
(d) Another play.

5. What happens to Trudy?
(a) She is hospitalized.
(b) She is never found.
(c) She goes with her mother.
(d) She dies.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is in Wilie's arms when they find him under the stair?

2. Why does Willie get upset when Tom visits him in the hospital?

3. What do Geoffrey and Miss Thorne decide on for their first lesson?

4. What is Willie able to do in the water almost immediately.

5. How does Tom get Willie out of the hospital?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Tom reveal for the first time in "The Show Must Go On"? Why does he reveal it and to whom?

2. How is Chapter 16, "The Search" suspenseful?

3. Once again, there is great suspense. Describe the suspense in Chapter 17, "The Rescue."

4. In Chapter 14, "New Beginnings," there are a few actual new beginnings. What are they, and what changes will they bring to the lives of the characters?

5. Chapter 18, is called "Recovery." Specifically, how does Willie begin to recover, and who helps him do so in this chapter?

6. Once again in this novel, two people with tragedy in their lives will come together and help each other heal. In Chapter 20, "Spooky Cott" who does Willie meet and how will their meeting help each of them?

7. In Chapter 15, "Home," what more does the reader learn about Mrs. Beech that has not been revealed before this chapter?

8. How is Willie similar and different from the boy that Tom met at the beginning of the novel?

9. How does the choir respond to Mr. Tom on his first night of organ playing for the carol service?

10. Now that Willie has arrived back in London, both he and his mother can see how much he has changed. What changes are there in Willie and how do these changes affect his relationship with his mother?

(see the answer keys)

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