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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. When Warren Redstone asks Frank where his can of belongings is, what is Frank's reply?

2. What sins is Nathan referring to when he says that his own sins have led to Ariel's death?

3. Why does Frank find it odd that upon his return to the house from Sibley Park, Ruth and Gus are sitting at the kitchen table together?

4. What is the spot of red that Frank observes in the river after Jake points it out?

5. Where do Frank and Jake get the money to buy food and games at the celebration?

Short Essay Questions

1. What secret does Karl finally reveal to Nathan that makes it fairly clear that he had no hand in Ariel's murder?

2. How do the themes of racism and larger injustice surface in the aftermath of Ariel's disappearance?

3. Besides the sheriff's mention of Morris Engdahl, what happens to prompt Frank to tell the sheriff about Morris Engdahl's dislike of Ariel?

4. What, if any, clues do Karl, Frank, Jake, the sheriff, and Officer Doyle find when they get to Sibley Park, the site of the bonfire party?

5. What are the differences in how each member of the Drum family feels about Karl's new status as a murder suspect?

6. What timeline does Karl present when he is questioned by the police?

7. What news does Gus bring to Ruth while Nathan is at the funeral home making arrangements for Ariel's funeral?

8. How does Warren Redstone play a role in the altercation between Frank and Morris Engdahl?

9. Why is it ironic that Ruth refuses to attend the New Bremen church service at which Nathan preaches right after Ariel's dead body is found?

10. Why and how does Ruth lose the one person who has served as her comfort throughout the tragedy surrounding Ariel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the genres the novel fits into is the coming-of-age genre. What are the author's main messages concerning adolescence and the process of growing up?

Essay Topic 2

How does Krueger depict the intolerance within American society in the early 1960s? Which characters are used to express that intolerance and what are the related messages about intolerance that are sent by the author across these instances?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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