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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. Where did Moth once desperately want to apply to college?

2. What does Moth replace the thing she takes from Aunt Jack without asking for?

3. Where does Moth go after she gets back from looking through Sani's windows in Part II?

4. What does Moth say her grandfather is in Part I?

5. What does Sani tell Moth he thinks of her name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What can Moth hear her mother saying on her dance recordings from competitions?

2. What does Moth mean when she says she is living "a secondhand life" (5)?

3. What are the most important items on Aunt Jack's list of rules?

4. What were moths originally attracted to before lightbulbs or flames, according to Moth?

5. What would Moth rather be than being too perfect?

6. Why does Moth say deadness does not bother her?

7. What does Aunt Jack's note on the fridge say when she leaves for the summer?

8. In Part II, what is Moth's dominant emotion as school ends and the summer just begins after Aunt Jack leaves?

9. Why does Moth think she might not hate this coming summer as much as she has hated the past two?

10. Why is Sani mad at his mother in Part II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think McBride chose to write this novel in verse? How does the style of the novel influence the reader's experience of understanding the characters and plot? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think McBride chooses to delve into different creation stories during Moth's and Sani's road trip? How do these stories relate to the trip itself, and to what both Moth and Sani are struggling with? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How does McBride communicate the importance of dance to Moth's character and sense of self? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 612 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample