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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Ruth gets angry at Julia's words, what physical attribute does Ruth mention in order to insult Julia?
(a) Crow's feet.
(b) Warts.
(c) Freckles.
(d) Worry lines.

2. When Frank leaves Emil and Lise's house and goes to Warren Redstone's lean-to, who does he see there?
(a) Warren Redstone.
(b) Gus.
(c) Officer Doyle.
(d) Nathan.

3. To whom does Jake think Frank should apologize and why?
(a) He thinks Frank should apologize to Ariel to keep her from telling the boys' secrets to their parents.
(b) He thinks Frank should apologize to Morris so that neither he nor Jake will be beat up.
(c) He thinks Frank should apologize to Nathan so that neither he nor Jake will be grounded again.
(d) He thinks Franks should apologize to Karl so that both he and Jake will still be offered rides in Karl's sports car.

4. What work does Ariel do for Emil Brandt in exchange for music tutelage?
(a) She gardens in his yard.
(b) She cleans his house.
(c) She transcribes for him.
(d) She paints portraits for him to sell.

5. What game does Danny O'Keefe call to ask Frank and Jake to come over and play?
(a) Clue.
(b) Monopoly.
(c) Operation.
(d) Risk.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what month and year does the narrator's story begin?

2. What is the punishment that Frank and Jake receive as a result of playing at the tracks?

3. Who first breaks the silence about the dead man on the tracks?

4. How does Jake's suit shoulder get torn?

5. Though there is little furniture in Lise and Emil's home, what object is a prominent feature in every room?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where do Frank and Jake go just before Bobby Cole's funeral, and how does Jake's suit sleeve get ripped?

2. What is the situation that results in Frank, Jake, and Nathan going to the jail in the middle of the night?

3. During Gus' and Frank's conversation about Nathan's experiences in the war, what two sources of information does Gus warn Frank against heeding?

4. Why is it such a significant moment when Nathan tells his sons, Frank and Jake, about the first dead body he saw in the war?

5. What are the reasons Officer Doyle gives for finding Bobby Cole's death suspicious?

6. How does Frank convince his dad to give him the tire iron for the boys' walk home from the jail and what do they subsequently do with it?

7. What causes Frank to abruptly run away from the Indian man and to drag Jake along with him?

8. Why is Frank so surprised when Officer Doyle asks him his opinion about this year's Minnesota Twins team and asks about his own experiences with baseball?

9. What lengths has Gus gone to in order to make sure Nathan does not know of the card games he runs in the basement of the church?

10. When Frank and Jake come upon the Indian man and the apparently lifeless man referred to as Skipper, the Indian man says, "Know what I like about railroad tracks? They're always there but they're always moving" (32). When Jake replies, "Just like a river" (32), why is Frank shocked at Jake's reply?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,269 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample