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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. Who is Will's stepfather?

2. How does Kimberly know Tariq?

3. What is Reverend Sloan's first impression of Kimberly?

4. How does Vernesha find out Tariq has been killed?

5. What does Steve tell Will about going to Underhill?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Kimberly most concerned about after Tariq's killing?

2. What does Tom Arlen think about whether or not Tariq had a gun in his hand when he was shot?

3. How does Tyrell find out that it was Tariq who was shot and killed on Peach Street?

4. Whose house does Jack Franklin go to to hide out and avoid all the media attention he receives after killing Tariq?

5. What caused the white puddle that Jennica remembers seeing on the pavement around Tariq after he was shot?

6. What is the role of Brian Trellis in Tariq's killing?

7. What does Sammy regret the most about his reaction to Tariq's shooting?

8. Why do Will's friends often make fun of him?

9. What does Steve Connors think about the importance of appearances and clothing when you are a black man?

10. What was the cause of Tariq Johnson's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Magoon portray the police in this novel through both her descriptions of their actions and the perspectives of different characters? Write an essay explaining your answer, being sure to cite specific references to the text.

Essay Topic 2

Magoon employs many different characters' perspectives in this novel, and she uses a unique voice for each character. Choose two characters with very different voices - for instance, Steve Connors and Noodle - and write an essay comparing and contrasting the specific language, tone, and style that Magoon employs for each.

Essay Topic 3

On the very first page of this novel, in the section titled The Incident, Magoon writes that there are few known facts surrounding the shooting death of Tariq Johnson. However, it becomes clear in the following pages that there are six separate eyewitnesses to the crime. Write an essay explaining why the known facts about Tariq's death are so few despite the fact that so many eyewitnesses were present.

(see the answer keys)

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