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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. What club does Ralph so badly want to join?

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

3. When does Ralph first consider himself a man?

4. What elementary school do the children of Hohman attend?

5. What was the name of Ralph's favorite radio show?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Why does Ralph think people in Northern Indiana like fireworks so much?

5. Why is Ralph paralyzed with fear when he reaches the top of Magic Mountain?

6. What kind of disappointment did Ralph suffer because of the Little Orphan Annie radio show?

7. What does Ralph believe that every family has?

8. With what does Ralph struggle most in the story about the book report?

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

10. How is Ralph punished for damaging the family car?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What perceptions did you have about the Midwest before reading this book? Have any of those perceptions been changed? What makes the Midwest different from other parts of the country? What makes it the same? Why was the Midwest the setting for the book? How did it help develop the stories Ralph told?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the Old Man and Ralph's mother. Why weren't they given actual names? What was their relationship like with each other? What was their relationship like with Ralph? How did they each influence and shape Ralph?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Ralph and Wilbur Duckworth. What experiences do they share? What makes them different? What makes Ralph remember Duckworth with such clarity, so many years after they played in the marching band together? Define the term "social outcast" and how it relates to both Ralph and Wilbur. In what ways are they both social outcasts?

(see the answer keys)

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