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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 food does Jinx want to get from the boy?

2. How much money does Abilene have when she travels to Manifest?

3. What railway does Abilene ride on the way to Manifest?

4. Who becomes the first prime suspect to be the "Rattler"?

5. What booth does Ned go to?

Short Essay Questions

1. When does Abilene discover that she has lost an item?

2. What does the sheriff threaten Shady with?

3. What does the fireworks man show Ned and Jinx?

4. How does Abilene answer questions about her parents at school?

5. Where does Abilene decide to put her valuables before going to sleep?

6. Where does Ned go after leaving the town?

7. What do Jinx and the boy he made the trade with see while they are hiding in the bushes?

8. Besides money, what object does Abilene give to Miss Sadie, and why?

9. What does Abilene make of the engraving on the item of her father's that she carries?

10. What does Mr. Underhill do at the cemetery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the main themes of the novel is prejudice. Discuss the following:

1) What problems does prejudice cause for the people of the town? What are the causes of the people's prejudice? Who does prejudice help and who does it hurt?

2) How does prejudice affect Ned and Miss Sadie? How does prejudice affect Jinx? How does the town overcome prejudice?

3) How does prejudice affect the town in the 1930s when Abilene arrives?

Essay Topic 2

The novel is set in a small town in middle America in two different historical periods. Discuss the setting of the novel.

1) How do the historical time periods of the Great Depression and World War I affect the novel and its characters?

2) How does the location of a small town in rural America affect the novel? Why does the author choose this location?

3) Why does the author set the novel in one location, but in two time periods?

Essay Topic 3

Objects and mementos play an important role in uncovering and understanding the past. Discuss importance of objects in revealing the past in the novel.

1) Why do characters keep objects from the past? How do objects connect the characters to the past?

2) How do objects serve as clues for Abilene to recover the past and understand it?

3) What are the limitations of objects in revealing and remembering the past?

(see the answer keys)

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