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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. One morning during his paper route, what terrifying story does Russell read?
(a) He reads about the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
(b) He reads about a dismembered body found in the sewer.
(c) He reads about a house fire that has burned all night.
(d) He reads that the price of milk is going up.

2. Why is Russell angry with Herb?
(a) He feels replaced as the man of the family.
(b) He hates the railroad.
(c) He is jealous of his time with his mother.
(d) He misses his father and does not want a replacement.

3. What bully beats Russell up at his new school in Baltimore?
(a) Pete.
(b) Billy.
(c) George.
(d) Fernando.

4. On what expensive treat does Russell blow his budget for the trip after hearing Mimi's story?
(a) A six-course meal at the Townhouse.
(b) A delicate chocolate tart at a famous bakery.
(c) Dinner at the Chicken Hut and a movie.
(d) A ferry ride across the harbor.

5. Of what religious persuasion is the matron at the orphanage?
(a) Fundamentalist Protestant.
(b) Lutheran.
(c) The Church of Latter-Day Saints.
(d) Lapsed Catholic.

6. How long does it take for Joe Louis to defeat Max Schmeling?
(a) Two minutes and nine seconds.
(b) Ten minutes and twenty seconds.
(c) Thirty seconds.
(d) Three hours, ten minutes, thirteen seconds.

7. What friend encourages Russell to try college?
(a) Charlie Sussman.
(b) Mr. Simmons.
(c) Mimi.
(d) George Stillman.

8. What must Russell sometimes walk past in the downstairs parlor?
(a) Dead bodies.
(b) The library.
(c) The basement door.
(d) The landlord's dog.

9. What orphanage was Mimi raised in?
(a) Sarah Agnes Home.
(b) Sheltering Arms.
(c) St. Mary's of the Apostle.
(d) Children's Home.

10. In what areas is Russell's knowledge extremely limited?
(a) Baseball and tennis.
(b) Latin and grammar.
(c) Culture and politics.
(d) Composition and writing.

11. How does Russell learn to swim?
(a) He never learns to swim.
(b) He starts in the shallows with instructors.
(c) He jumps into the fifteen-foot deep pool.
(d) He and his instructor swim out together.

12. What is the community's problem with Joe Louis, the heavyweight champion?
(a) He is a black man.
(b) He is a German.
(c) He is a cheater.
(d) He is a criminal.

13. What attack shocks Russell in 1941?
(a) The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
(b) Germany's invasion of Poland.
(c) The bombing of Hiroshima.
(d) The bombing of Nagasaki.

14. Who is Aunt Sister's husband?
(a) Uncle Allen.
(b) Uncle Harold.
(c) Uncle Hal.
(d) Uncle Charlie.

15. How does Uncle Harold die?
(a) He dies in a car accident.
(b) He dies in the hospital after a series of heart attacks.
(c) He dies in the hospital of lung cancer.
(d) He dies in a hunting accident.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Harold tell Russell he was shot during World War I?

2. How long has the family been in Baltimore when Lucy takes Russell and Doris with her to get food?

3. Why is Jim a poor flight instructor?

4. What does Russell list as his ambition in his high school yearbook?

5. What is installed in the house for Herb's job?

(see the answer keys)

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