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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. Where was the World's Fair held the year Ralph went as a child?

2. What holiday does the author reflect most on during that first day in Hohman?

3. Ralph thinks there are several moments in a person's life when:

4. What fascinated Ralph's father in his spare time?

5. What is a crappie?

Short Essay Questions

1. Ralph's description of his fishing trip--the heat, the crowd, and gutting the fish--does not seem like it would be a pleasant experience. Why is Ralph so thrilled about the outing, and why does he smile and celebrate?

2. Why does Ralph become the real butt of the joke instead of getting in trouble for retelling the dirty joke?

3. What have we learned about Ralph and his desires in the first eight chapters?

4. Why does Ralph believe that penny candy is such a big deal to a child?

5. Why is Ralph's life changed forever after the jawbreaker incident at Pulaski's store?

6. Why is Wilbur Duckworth considered to be a social outcast?

7. Why does Ralph go looking for a book in his parents' room?

8. What do we learn about Ralph by knowing he likes Red Ryder and the Little Orphan Annie radio show?

9. What was similar and different about Ludlow Kissel's and Ralph's father's fireworks experiences?

10. What does the reader learn about the main character in the opening chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why was Adult Flick such a vital character in the book? What was his role, and why would the book have been negatively affected without his character?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the Midwesterner Mind and why it was such a prevalent ideology throughout the book. Use examples.

Essay Topic 3

Which theme was the most powerful in the book and why? Cite examples.

1) An Outsider Looking In

2) Parents Versus Children

3) Nothing in Life Is Free

4) Life Is Not Fair

5) Coming of Age

(see the answer keys)

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