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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 does Will think when the girl says she knows him in Chapter Three?

2. How many bullets does Buck say there should be in the gun in Chapter Two?

3. What does Will try to do as the girl stands in the elevator in Chapter Three?

4. What are Tony and Will talking about in Chapter One?

5. Where does Will put Shawn’s gun in Chapter One?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Will think of when a man gets on the elevator in Chapter Two and starts looking at Will when Will is not looking?

2. After Will tells Buck what he is going to do, what does Buck tell Will about his plan to follow The Rules in Chapter Two? How does he compare Will to Shawn?

3. What is Will’s plan with Shawn’s gun in Chapter One?

4. What does Dani ask Will when he tells her his plan in Chapter Three? How does he respond?

5. What does Will describe as a “strange thing” in the beginning of Chapter Two? What does he call this?

6. What happens on the day of the picture that Dani shows to Will in Chapter Three?

7. How does Will describe the sadness of losing someone you love in Chapter One?

8. What does Will insist to the reader directly after he introduces himself in the beginning of Chapter One? Why does he say he does this?

9. Why does Will look to Buck for help in Chapter Three? What does Buck do?

10. Who does Will think has killed Shawn in Chapter One? Why does Will think this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast how Pop feels and acts after shooting Ghee to how Will feels and acts after Dani dies. What similarities exist between the two scenes? What is the novel saying about death by having these similarities? What themes is the novel trying to evoke with these two passages? Write a claim about the purpose of comparing the theme, and draw on at least two other sections in the novel to support your claim.

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter Four of the novel, film techniques are used to illustrate the center of the story. In early lessons, the novel’s connection to rap music was discussed. What is the effect of having the novel contain so many genre forms? Why are so many different kinds of media referenced and contained in the novel? How does this enhance the story of the novel? Pull from at least four textual examples to support your exploratory claim.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the character of Will Holloman to Mikey Holloman. How are these characters similar or different to one another? How are their actions related? How are their words related to one another? Why does the novel set these two characters up as foils of one another? What does their mirroring suggest about the novel's structure, and eventual ending? Write a response with at least four textual examples.

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