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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 do Mike and Dru get back to Mike's car?

2. What does Scooter say jumping off the Nail does?

3. What does Dru do when she goes in Elisa's house?

4. What is Elisa doing at the beginning of Chapter 7?

5. Where do Dru and Mike go to watch a jump?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mike say about his father and Dru's mother in the car?

2. What does Jeremy say to Dru when she sees him?

3. Why is Dru different from the other teenagers at the Nail, what rumor does one teen say to Dru?

4. Where do Dru and Mike go at the beginning of Chapter Two, what is it like there, who else is there, and what does Dru hope?

5. How does Dru feel towards Scooter after Elisa tells Dru about the drowned girl and what does Elisa say to her?

6. How does Dru get to talk to Elisa, what does Dru say to her and what is her response?

7. What does Dru want to do once she and Mike get back to the top of the Nail, who is Hopi and what does he give Dru?

8. How is Elisa awoken after Dru had put her to bed and what does she do about Scooter's invitation? How does Dru react?

9. What does Dru do when she gets to Elisa's house and how does she take care of Elisa?

10. What has Dru just finished, and what is she thinking about as she walks her dog looking at houses?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Elisa represents the battered woman. She has battered woman syndrome in an emotional sense. She does not see how Scooter really treats her and accepts the emotional abuse as part of her life. Even when Dru points out his controlling number counting, Elisa defends him. She chooses to be emotionally abused and Dru remembers that other people see this too, as she remembers Tom's comment.

1. With research, discuss why Elisa displays the symptoms of an emotionally battered woman. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Do you think Scooter's behavior towards Elisa is controlling or do you think it is typical teenage male behavior? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Discuss what you would say to a good friend who was in a relationship where their significant other abused them emotionally or degraded them as a person. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Dru is a bit guilty of catering to her boyfriend, just like Elisa. Mike is not controlling, but she will do certain things for him. She goes to the Spindrift, though she does not feel like it. She wears her hair the way he likes it. She looks longingly at her new clothes for Northwestern, a place that represents distance from Mike. In a subliminal way, Mike gets in her head. And she submits to what he wants.

1. Do you think it is positive or negative behavior to do certain things for another person even if you don't necessarily want to do them yourself? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Do you think there is a part of Dru who believes she is giving up too much of herself to date Mike? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Do you think the female in a relationship tends to give up more than the male? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Choose one of the following to discuss:

1. Choose two significant symbols and trace and analyze their appearance in "Jumping the Nail". Are these universal symbols? Would they be understood in any culture? Are there other symbols that would portray the same idea? What are they? Why do you think Bunting chooses the symbols she does?

2. Choose two important metaphors and trace and analyze their appearance in the novel. Are these universal metaphors? Would they be understood in any culture? Are there other metaphors that would portray the same idea? What are they? Why do you think Bunting chooses the metaphors she does?

3. Discuss Bunting's use (or lack ) of literary device (such as foreshadowing, cliffhangers, deux ex machina, etc.), and how they add or detract from the story. Does Bunting use too many or too little literary techniques? State which of the five major elements of fiction the literary device is related to (style, character, plot, setting, theme.)

(see the answer keys)

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