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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. Which of the following baseball teams do Penny and her Uncle Dominic support?

2. Which of Penny's relatives lives in a car?

3. Which of the following items does Pop-pop pick up when he takes Penny out for a walk?

4. What does Penny notice to be missing from the sideboard while she and her family members are having dinner with Mr. Mulligan?

5. What type of animal does Penny's dog chase into the house?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the text in Chapters 4 and 5, does Penny have to endure any unwanted physical misfortunes as a result of Pop-pop painting the household furniture with black lacquer?

2. According to the text in the eleventh chapter of the book, what does Mr. Mulligan do to try to make a good impression on Penny's mother and her family when he stops by to have dinner with them?

3. Based on the focus upon it in the first chapter of the book, what type of lifestyle is that of Penny Falucci's?

4. Based on the text in Chapters 7 and 8 of the book, do Pop-pop and Penny buy anything while they are out for a walk?

5. According to the text in Chapters 4 and 5 of the book, what action by Penny's mother leads Penny to believe that her mother is now in a happier mood than Penny has ever known her to be?

6. According to the text in the first couple of chapters in the book, why does Penny's maternal grandmother, Me-me, do most of the cooking for Penny and her mother?

7. Based on the narrative in Chapter 3 of the book, how do Penny and Frankie show their politeness to Mrs. Wiederhorn during their meat delivery stop at her house?

8. According to the text in Chapter 3 of the book, are any signs visible signs of what may be spousal abuse that Frankie and Penny detect while making a delivery stop at Mrs. Giaquinto's house and speaking with her briefly?

9. According to the narrative in the eleventh chapter of the book, what takes place before Penny receives her shiner from Veronica?

10. According to the text in Chapters 7 and 8, what is discussed between Frankie and Penny while they are in the basement helping Nonny with the laundry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Introduced early in the story, Penny's Uncle Dominic lives in a car in the Faluccis' front yard. As the story continues, it becomes evident that the man is stable in many ways, and in fact, is a source of stability in Penny's life - always there to rescue Penny, listen to her problems, fix the toilet, and listen to the ball games on the car radio with her. Is he merely a misunderstood eccentric sort living in a car? Does he live in the car because he is frugal? Or does he live in it because he is poor? Cite text and/or paraphrase scenarios from the book to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

There is a lot of generosity extended toward Penny throughout the book, especially from relatives on her father's side of the family. Whose generosity does Penny value the most? Uncle Nunzio's? Uncle Ralphie's? Or Uncle Dominic's? Cite text and/or paraphrase scenarios from the book to support your position.

Essay Topic 3

Looking at Penny's life throughout the book, and how relatives from both sides of her family - that of her father, and that of her mother - play important roles in her life, can it be said that a village and not a pair of conventional parents helped raise Penny? Cite text and/or paraphrase scenarios from the book to support your position.

(see the answer keys)

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