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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. Who does Joel determine he will make his friend near the end of the religious service?

2. Who throws the religious service in Chapter 3?

3. Who is described as a slight, dowdy woman in Chapter 2?

4. What does Joel say his life has been a series of when he reverts inward during the religious service?

5. Who does Joel talk to at the end of the religious service?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Zoo wear a ribbon around her neck?

2. What does Joel do during his breaks from being painted in Chapter 8?

3. Why does Joel say he chooses to enter his own imaginary place in his head?

4. How is Joel's haircut given by Zoo described?

5. What does Joel find in the mailbox at the Landing at the end of Chapter 5?

6. How does Idabel react when Joel kisses her on the cheek?

7. What is the nature of Joel and Idabel's interaction at the beginning of Chapter 7?

8. How does Joel react after his haircut from Zoo is finished?

9. What is the nature of Joel and Florabel's conversation in Chapter 5?

10. Why does Little Sunshine wish for Joel to come to his home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the nature of Skully's Landing in the book. In what way does the author portray Skully's Landing to be a bizarre and desolate place and based on this portrayal, what might he be saying about the nature of those living there?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters Florabel and Idabel in the book. How might the author purposefully make Florabel overtly feminine in order to offset the masculine nature of Idabel?

Essay Topic 3

Much of the dialogue used by the author provokes a distinct southern dialect that immerses the reader into the characters' surroundings.

Part 1.) How does the author's use of the Southern dialect in characters like Idabel help inform the readers about the nature of the book's setting?

Part 2.) In what way might the author's use of dialect be geared towards entertaining the reader?

Part 3.) What can the reader learn about the author's writing technique based on his masterly use of dialect in the book?

(see the answer keys)

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