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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. In Chapter 8, what is one activity Jones and his mother do together to try to help with his problems related to going to college?

2. In Chapter 7, what does Jones do for most of his time at the public library?

3. Where does Jones meet a man he goes home with at the end of Chapter 8?

4. What job did Jones's mother work at for a brief time during her twenties?

5. What author does Jones begin Part Two of the book with a quote from?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 4, what had caused Jones's grandmother to hit him across the face several summers earlier?

2. In Chapter 9, what is the prognosis for Jones's mother after the diagnosis of her illness?

3. In Chapter 3, how does Jones feel when he hears about the murder of James Byrd Jr.?

4. In Chapter 2, why is Jones excited and happy when his neighbor Cody asks him to go out in the woods with him and his brother?

5. In the summer after Jones finishes sixth grade, what does he spend much of his days doing?

6. In Chapter 6, why does Jones feel so shaken after seeing The Laramie Project?

7. In Chapter 1, how does Jones describe his mother's appearance and demeanor?

8. In Chapter 2, what does Jones, Cody, and Sam find in the woods that they split up and share?

9. In Chapter 5, what kinds of stories is Jones very interested in in adolescence, and why?

10. In Chapter 4, what makes Jones think he will refuse to come to his grandmother's for future summers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 4, what starts to change within Jones's relationship with his grandmother? Why does Jones no longer want to spend part of the summers with her? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 8, what are some of the tactics and plans that both Jones and his mother consider to try to be able to afford the college tuition there after Jones is accepted? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 20, why does Jones feel so conflicted about receiving his mother's life insurance money? What does receiving the money highlight for him about the tragedy of his mother's death and of the way she lived in terms of struggling to make ends meet? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to support your arguments.

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