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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 did Ralph describe the "special kid place" to his mother?

2. How does Ralph's mother find Ralph during his incident with Grover Dill?

3. What was the magazine of choice for young boys during Ralph and Flick's childhood?

4. What is the theme in Chapters 3 and 4?

5. What was Grover Dill doing at the bar when Ralph was back in town visiting?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Ralph such a big fan of Red Ryder?

2. What happened when Grover Dill tripped Ralph on his way home from school one time?

3. Why does Adult Ralph recall the theme song of his favorite radio show after all the years?

4. Why does Ralph retell Uncle Ben's joke if he truly did not understand the joke?

5. What skills does Wilbur Duckworth display during the final band performance of his high school career?

6. Why do Ralph and Flick get nervous when they look at cash?

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

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

9. What does Ralph believe that every family has?

10. What made Ralph think about an old Christmas present he received when he was a child in Chapter 1?

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

The Bully played a major role in Ralph's childhood. Why did the Bully affect him so much before and after the incident he had with Grover Dill? What does he say about bullies in adulthood? Is everyone affected by a bully at some point in life? Why or why not? Cite examples from the book.

Essay Topic 3

Ralph's innocence keeps him out of trouble during a couple of stories in the book. Compare and contrast at least two events in which Ralph was saved from punishment because of his youth and innocence. Explore what was his actual punishment and whether that punishment was more or less effective than one that could have come from an adult. Discuss the irony in how his youth kept him from getting into big trouble even as he was trying to be more grown up.

(see the answer keys)

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