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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. What happens in Valencia's dream in Chapter 2?

2. What does Valencia say to Chet Bullens when he harasses her in Chapter 9?

3. Who does Virgil see in the Super Saver in Chapter 8 that makes him nervous and excited?

4. What does Valencia's mother send her off to find in Chapter 9 at the grocery store?

5. About how many islands are there in the Philippines?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Virgil feel about the fact that his family has nicknamed him Turtle?

2. Who is the student from Virgil's school who bullies him, and what does the bully usually say?

3. In Chapter 11, what does Lola warn Virgil about for the day ahead?

4. In Chapter 5, what does Virgil suspect is wrong with Gulliver, and why does he think this?

5. What does Mr. Bullens, Chet's father, say when Chet asks him what makes people deaf in Chapter 10?

6. In Chapter 12, who comes to Valencia's door early on Saturday morning and how do they treat her?

7. In Chapter 17, how and why does Virgil end up trapped in the old well in the woods?

8. Who is Virgil's pet, and how does Virgil feel about the pet?

9. In Chapter 16, why is Virgil even more scared of encountering Chet Bullens than usual?

10. Why does Valencia think of Chet Bullens as "Scrunch"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Kelly chooses to write Valencia's chapters from the first-person point of view and Virgil's from the third-person point of view? What effect do you think her alternation between viewpoints from different characters has on the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the language and sentence structure Kelly uses in Kaori's dialogue compared to the other four children in the book - Virgil, Valencia, Chet, and Gen. How is Kaori's vocabulary and tone different from that of the other childrens'?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay comparing and contrasting the different types of pressures and expectations Virgil, Kaori, Chet, and Valencia feel from their parents throughout the book. Whose relationship with his or her parents seem to evolve the most significantly from the beginning of the book to the end?

(see the answer keys)

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