View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who owns a farm that Paddy and his friends enjoy playing in?

2. Who gets into trouble for doing the activity that is banned at Paddy's school by the headmaster?

3. What does Paddy kill with a hurley?

4. Who is the main character of the novel?

5. What is blocking the pipe at the Clarke house that causes the drain to become clogged?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the rumors Paddy and his friends heard about the death of Sean Rickard? What actually killed Sean?

2. Describe the ceremony that Paddy and his friends sometimes played on Fridays.

3. When does Paddy's da usually teach Paddy new songs and what are some of the songs Paddy's father taught him?

4. Describe Paddy's relationship with his two sisters, Catherine and Deirdre.

5. Paddy and his family go on a picnic. Describe how the picnic went and the general atmosphere of the picnic from Paddy's point-of-view.

6. On some Fridays, Paddy's school would show a movie for the end of the day. What usually happened when the movies were shown?

7. What happens when Paddy and his father go to the library?

8. Using details from the text, describe how Paddy's fort under the table is an indication that Paddy still wants to be a child.

9. Describe Paddy's relationship with his da.

10. What happens to Paddy one day after they watch a Three Stooges movie at school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Growing up, Paddy can often hear his parents fighting. At first the fights are few and far between, but as the novel progress the fights become more frequent and violent. Describe how Paddy tries to stop the fighting and why Paddy is conflicted by the fights.

Essay Topic 2

Using details and elements discussed in the class and in the text, describe how abuse was a central part of the plot. Is there only one abuser? How does abuse affect the relationships between the characters in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Paddy's relationship with his da. Do they have a good relationship? Why or why not? How does Paddy's relationship with his da compare to the relationship Liam/Aidan have with their da? What similarities do Paddy and his da share?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,211 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample