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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. Before Mr. Spiro, who are the only two people Little Man says have ever talked to him directly about his stutter?

2. Who does Little Man see watching him from his truck when his father drops him off at the newspaper pickup in Chapter 8?

3. How does Little Man sign his letter of apology to Mrs. Worthington in Chapter 2?

4. What is the name of the town where Mam grew up?

5. What street does Mrs. Worthington live on?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Little Man and Mr. Spiro discuss during Little Man's visit in Chapter 8?

2. Who is Big Sack? What is this character's relationship to Little Man?

3. What does Little Man encounter when he goes to Mrs. Worthington's home for newspaper payment collection in Chapter 6?

4. Why does Little Man refuse Mam's offer for help with his collections for the newspaper route?

5. Why is Little Man's real name not revealed in the beginning of the story? How is he referred to in the text?

6. What is a stutter? How is Little Man's stutter depicted in the narrative of Paperboy?

7. What is the second "clue" that Mr. Spiro gives to Little Man in Chapter 5? What does Little Man make of the clue?

8. How does Little Man say he is relating the story of the stabbing in Chapter 1? Why is he relating the story in this manner?

9. What does Little Man discover on his birth certificate in Chapter 7? How does he respond to this information?

10. How are Little Man's athletic and academic achievements described in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the character of Mam in the novel. How would you describe Little Man's relationship with Mam? What characteristics does Mam exhibit? What are Mam's central objectives in the story?

Essay Topic 2

How does Little Man lose his yellow-handled knife? Why is it so important for Little Man to get his knife back? Whose help does Little Man elicit in retrieving his knife?

Essay Topic 3

What events lead up to the theft from the narrator's bedroom? What is stolen? How does Little Man respond when he discovers the theft?

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