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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. How much money did Gantos give Scanlon to make his deal?

2. After being battered by storms for three days, what did Hamilton order Gantos to follow?

3. To what was the second section of Gantos' journal dedicated?

4. Jack Gantos attended a school that was a renovated _________.

5. With what family did Jack Gantos first live in Florida while he worked on finishing school?

Short Essay Questions

1. What presentation does Gantos describe at his school in Section 1, Chapter 3? What did he make of it?

2. What did Gantos learn from Hamilton along the journey in Section 2, Chapter 3?

3. What is central in the exposition revealed in Section 1, Chapter 4? How is Gantos established as a character?

4. How old was Gantos when he began working full-time? How does he describe the work and his lifestyle in Section 1, Chapter 2?

5. What led Hamilton and Gantos to follow the Coast Guard in Section 2, Chapter 3?

6. Describe Gantos's experience with drugs in high school. What did he think of the experience?

7. Where did Gantos go after being kicked out of the Bacons' home?

8. How does Gantos describe his journal and its divisions in Section 1, Chapter 3?

9. What did Gantos and Rik pack in the crate? How was Gantos paid?

10. How is Gantos's lack of experience illustrated in Section 2, Chapter 3? How is Hamilton's experience illustrated?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Ernest Hemingway and John Hersey and their influence on Jack Gantos. When did each of these authors live and what were their major works? How did Gantos compare himself to Hersey, and why did he consider himself a coward?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the beat writer movement, Jack Kerouac and On the Road. When did the beats gain fame and what influence did they have on Jack Gantos? How did On the Road have an impact on Gantos? Where did he hope to travel based on the book?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Gantos's first experiences with marijuana in high school. What did Gantos think of the party he attended? When did marijuana come into popular use in the United States? How prevalent was it during Gantos's youth in Florida?

(see the answer keys)

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