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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. With what is Finsterwald's backyard filled?

2. How does Amanda's mom act when she first meets Maniac?

3. What do Maniac and Grayson do right after Thanksgiving dinner?

4. What does Maniac ask of God on Thanksgiving Day?

5. What does Maniac wonder about Black people?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the reader learn about Maniac's personality through the scene of Mars Bar and Maniac and the candy bar?

2. How does Maniac manage to infuriate McNab and does he do it on purpose?

3. Maniac's life tale may be bigger than he actually is. What begins the exaggeration in Chapter 2?

4. How does Amanda treat Maniac differently than everyone else in Chapter 11 and previous chapters?

5. What stops McNab and the Cobras from chasing Maniac after the home run hit? What does this say about the boys?

6. How does Maniac impress the star quarterback, Brian Denehy in Chapter 4?

7. Why won't Maniac go to school?

8. How might Amanda Beale's character be a good match for Maniac?

9. What is the underlying reason that Maniac wants to leave town after the incident at the fire hydrant party?

10. How does Grayson's background shape the man he has become today?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The nickname of the Maniac helps turn him into a legend. How so? Use specific examples from the novel. How is this legendary status a drawback for Maniac?

Essay Topic 2

Chapter 14 ends with this quote, "Inside a house a kid gets one name, but on the other side of the door, it's whatever the rest of the world wants to call him." How and why does Maniac wear one "mask" inside and one outside? How does this apply to all of mankind?

Essay Topic 3

What is Maniac truly searching for for himself? How is this search a theme of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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