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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 happens to the smoke when the elevator door opens in Chapter Four?

2. What does Uncle Mark say when he looks at Will in Chapter Four?

3. What does Will’s dad admit to Will in Chapter Five?

4. Why does Will stop himself from crying when he sees his dad in Chapter Five?

5. Who comes on the elevator in Chapter Five?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Frick as said in Chapter Six? How is Frick described?

2. According to Chapter Six, why was Shawn upset as he tells to Buck? What does Buck do to comfort him?

3. How had Will’s dad felt after Uncle Mark’s death as told in Chapter Five? What is the figurative language his dad uses to describe how he feels?

4. When Will hears Buck talking about Shawn being upset in Chapter Six, who does Will think is the guy who bothered Shawn at the convenience store? What does Frick say when asked about Riggs?

5. What is the script of the film Uncle Mark wants to make as described by Jessie in Chapter Four?

6. What does Frick show to Will in Chapter Six? What do he and Buck say about what he shows Will?

7. How had Shawn learned what had happened to Buck as told in Chapter Six? Why was the person who told Shawn not considered a snitch?

8. What had Will’s dad done in as told Chapter Five after Uncle Mark’s death?

9. How does Uncle Mark’s selling escalate as described in Chapter Four? How does his selling end and why?

10. What does Will feel like telling his dad in Chapter Five? Why does he keep it inside?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

The Rules are the center of the novel's events, driving Will's actions as well as the actions of generations before him. Will says repeatedly, "The Rules are the rules," implying that they can not be changed. Why is this the case? Why has Will, and others, accepted The Rules so readily? What have The Rules done for the community? And finally, does the novel show that The Rules are The Rules, or does it show something different? Use four textual examples to support your paper.

Essay Topic 3

In the opening poems, Will insists that what happens is true (1-4). Think back to earlier discussions of your position as a reader. Why does Will want you to think the novel is true as he insists in the beginning? How does he reaffirm that these events are true throughout the novel? What is the relationship of the novel to its readers? Write an essay response pulling on textual examples for what the role of the reader is, how this can be observed through text choices, and why the reader is in this position to the text.

(see the answer keys)

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