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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 happened to the Thunderbolt Kid's sacred jersey?

2. What was the name of Bryson's elementary school?

3. Who was the friend who introduced Bryson to the finer things in life?

4. None of the rides at the amusement park in #145 had ____________.

5. What was the landscape like in the area where Bryson's grandparents lived?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Bryson's job as a boy and how did his absentmindedness become a liability?

2. What did Bryson buy with his newspaper route money and what other interest did he develop at this time?

3. For what was Bryson most notorious in high school and what did he do after graduation?

4. What did Bryson and his friends do when they went to the movie matinees?

5. What changes were occurring in Des Moines as the 1950s came to a close?

6. What was Bryson's opinion of staying in Des Moines versus moving to a bigger city?

7. Describe the Audio Visual Club and why the boys were anxious to join.

8. What was the recovery process for Bryson's broken leg?

9. How did the Bryson family end up staying in a hotel in Harlem?

10. What did Bryson learn about his parents that pleased him and how did this change his views of his real parentage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a "character" sketch of the city of Des Moines. What personality shines through for you for this city? Did Bryson make you want to learn more and perhaps visit one day? What would you most like to see? What is the one fact or interesting feature that you can recall about Des Moines? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Why did Bryson choose to use the first person perspective for the stories? What does this point of view entail? What do you know about the characters and the plot lines that you would not know from a different point of view? What do you NOT know about the characters and plot lines based on this point of view?

Essay Topic 3

Humor takes on an almost human persona in this story. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

(see the answer keys)

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