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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. For what do the larger boys NOT pick on Jeffrey?

2. In Chapter One, who has been murdered?

3. Who arrives at Charlie's window in the middle of the night as the book opens?

4. What is the current theory in Chapter Four about Laura's disappearance?

5. Which of the following is an example of personification from Chapter Four?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Charlie's research into killers affect the way he thinks about his town?

2. How has the search for Laura changed in Chapter Four?

3. Why do Jeffrey and Charlie spend so much time speaking in puns, especially those with a blasphemous tone?

4. Why does Jasper fear that he will be accused of Laura's murder?

5. Describe Jasper's homelife.

6. What is the history of the study in the Bucktin household? How might its current use a study create turmoil?

7. What are some of the problems between Charlie and his mother?

8. Why does Jasper come to Charlie?

9. Why is it unusual that no one is talking about Laura Wishart's disappearance in Chapter Two?

10. How is The Wizard of Oz a prominent motif in Chapter Four?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you detail the ways in which the Sylvia Likens case is similar to circumstances in Corrigan and to Laura Wishart's life.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, trees are of special symbolic importance. We see many different types of trees, and they are connected with different relationships, characters, and plot points. Write an essay in which you detail the symbolism of at least one type of tree mentioned.

Essay Topic 3

It appears that the marginalized often strive to subjugate others even more than they have been pressed down themselves. Write an essay in which you detail such instances in the novel, and make connections between the characters who are the subjugated, and those who are the oppressor.

(see the answer keys)

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