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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 is Elisa doing at the beginning of Chapter 7?

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

3. What did Mike's father do when Dru's mother was married?

4. What does Dru tell Lizzie privately?

5. What does Dru think about Scooter?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Diane feel about Mike?

3. What does Hopi say about jumping?

4. What do Scooter and Elisa bring to the Nail with them, how is Scooter feeling, how does Elisa react to Dru and what does Scooter go do?

5. 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?

6. What happens when Scooter and Elisa jump and immediately after?

7. What does Dru do after Elisa falls asleep and how does she feel about her dad?

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

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

10. What does Scooter ask Mike and Dru to do, why does he ask them and what does Dru think of Scooter jumping?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Titles often play a vital role in making a person decide to read a particular book. Discuss the following:

1. Fully explain why you think "Jumping the Nail" is titled as such. Do you think it is the best title for the book? Why or why not? Can you think of a better title? Why would you choose it?

2. How important is a title in influencing you to consider reading a book? Explain your answer.

3. Do you think a title needs to have direct relevance to a book's content? Explain your answer.

4. Have you ever read a book that when you finished, you do not understand the relevance of the title? Does it discourage you from "trusting" that particular author again?

Essay Topic 2

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and sometimes it is the other way around. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think "Jumping the Nail" is? Explain your response.

Essay Topic 3

The seaweed crown represents how Elisa saw herself. She was a mere object of Scooter's, of no worth or value to herself or the world. The crown is made of seaweed, a smelly and filthy plant of the ocean. Elisa saw herself as a representation of the seaweed, a pitiful girl who did not deserve anything better. As the crown floats on the water, it is a reminder to all the teenagers that succumbing to insecurity will kill you, either emotionally or literally.

1. Discuss three incidences in which people have seen others only as objects and not people, for example, soldiers looking at the enemy. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. What do you think another teenager can do when she or he has a friend who feels worthless? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Elisa felt she did not deserve anything worthwhile. Scooter seemed to treat her like this often. do you think people who feel they are not worth much are treated that way by others because they feel that way about themselves? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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