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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 does Tyler Klement do for work?

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

3. When Warren Redstone asks Frank what kind of name Drum is, what is Frank's reply?

4. What kind of animal does Officer Doyle blow up with the M-80 firecracker?

5. Who fixes Jake's suit?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one character from the novel. Discuss Krueger's use of the four characterization methods to depict this character: indirect description, direct description, revelation by self, and relation by others. How does Krueger use these methods to shape the reader's impression of the character?

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?

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