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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. Where do Frank and Jake run to after seeing the dead body at the train tracks?
(a) Halderson's drug store.
(b) Their father's church.
(c) Their house.
(d) Emil Brandt's house.

2. Why are Frank and Jake forced to squeeze in next to Karl when he takes them for a ride in his Triumph sports car?
(a) Because the Triumph has no back seat.
(b) Because there are no seat belts in the back seat.
(c) Because the back seats have been removed to make room for a speaker system.
(d) Because the back seat is full of theater props.

3. How many children do Axel and Julia Brandt have?
(a) 4.
(b) 3.
(c) 2.
(d) 1.

4. Who first tells Nathan that Emil has attempted suicide?
(a) Ruth.
(b) Ariel.
(c) Jake.
(d) Gus.

5. Why does Jake want Frank to answer people's questions about the incident with Emil instead of answering himself?
(a) Because he is worried he will stutter.
(b) Because he still does not feel well.
(c) Because he is so shaken by the incident that he does not know what to say.
(d) Because he cannot stop crying.

Short Answer Questions

1. What two queries does Frank make of Karl during the ride in the Triumph?

2. Who first voices the suspicion that Bobby Cole's death might have involved foul play?

3. What does Frank say is intended to be the highlight of the Independence Day celebration in Luther Park?

4. How do Jake and Frank feel about their sister Ariel?

5. What difficult task does Lise assign to Frank and Jake when the three are gardening together?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. How does Officer Doyle's search of Warren Redstone's lean-to sway the reader's opinion of Warren Redstone's character?

3. How does Frank feel about his older sister Ariel?

4. How does the scene at the old rock quarry reveal themes of adolescent sexuality through Frank's character?

5. How does Nathan react to Father Peter's communication with him about the townspeople's problems with Ruth?

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

7. What is revealed about the difference between Frank's and Jake's characters in the moment when they are invited by Gus and Officer Doyle to set off fireworks?

8. What messages is the reader meant to absorb from the conversation between Frank and Warren Redstone in the O'Keefes' basement?

9. What are the purposes of the Drum family's visit to Emil and Lise Brandt's house?

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

(see the answer keys)

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