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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. How old is Bobby when he is killed?

2. Why do Frank and Jake walk home from the jail instead of riding in their father's car?

3. What method does Emil use to attempt suicide?

4. How many children do Axel and Julia Brandt have?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. 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?

5. 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?

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

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

8. What is the outcome of Nathan's and Gus' search for Travis Klement, the man they know to have beaten his wife and son?

9. What happens within the conversation Frank overhears between Nathan and Emil after Emil's return from the private hospital?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A message about prejudice, particularly that experienced by people of color in 1960s America, is expressed through certain characters and particular situations within the novel. Describe and analyze three of these instances and create a claim stating the author's message about prejudice.

Essay Topic 2

Like many other coming-of-age books and movies, Ordinary Grace presents the loss of innocence as a theme. Trace Frank's loss of innocence over the course of the novel's narrative. What is the author's purpose for depicting Frank's, as well as other characters', loss of innocence throughout the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Vices often play a role in the narrative, with some characters engaging in drinking, smoking, and gambling, among other activities often considered immoral, or at least troublesome. How does the author use characters' vices in contrast with the themes of faith and innocence within the novel?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,340 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample