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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who ends up being the butt of the joke at the end of Chapter 18?

2. Why does Ralph wake up in the middle of the night at times?

3. To whom does Ralph repeat the sensational joke he heard at the family gathering?

4. How does Ralph describe auction followers?

5. In the Midwest, Ralph says that storytelling revolved around:

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

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 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?

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