View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What stolen goods does Wendell Bolton buy?

2. How old is Mr. Nesbitt at the time of his murder?

3. What do the guards do after the prisoner starts a fight when the preacher visits?

4. Where does Kathy O'Brien tell Steve she was born?

5. How much does Wendell Bolton pay for the stolen goods from the drugstore robbery?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Detective Karyl describe the crime scene at the pharmacy?

2. Why is Steve not hungry on the morning of Monday, July 6?

3. What does James King look like on the first day of the trial?

4. In the prologue, Steve says "they say you get used to being in jail." What is Steve's take on this passage?

5. What does Steve say happens if anyone knows you are crying in prison?

6. When Steve gets dressed for court on Thursday, July 9 and thinks of his mother, what is she doing?

7. Why does O'Brien say things are looking bad for Steve's case after Osvaldo's testimony?

8. In his journal notes for Tuesday, July 7, why does Steve say he needs to keep thinking of the movie?

9. What are the reasons, according to O'Brien, that Steve should take this trial "very, very seriously"?

10. What does Steve think his father's crying means?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Using specific textual examples, describe and contextualize the way Walter Dean Myers uses the word "monster" in this book. Be sure to consider how the author means it literally as well as metaphorically or symbolically, and be sure to discuss to which character(s) this word applies.

Essay Topic 2

One major theme of this novel is teenage violence. Explain the role violence between teenagers and violence perpetrated by teenagers plays in the plot and characterization of this novel, and describe the ways in which Walter Dean Myers explores this theme. Be sure to indicate what you think Myers is trying to communicate to the reader about teenage violence, using specific textual examples.

Essay Topic 3

Some critics might read this novel as a coming of age story, in which Steve's maturation from young man or boy to mature man is one of the themes. In an analytical essay, describe the process of Steve's maturation and development, using specific examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 856 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample