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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 will Frankie have to pay for in relation to the misdeed that he has committed?

2. What is the name of Penny's doctor?

3. Which of the following couples are paid a visit by Me-me and Pop-pop on the same day that Frankie invites Penny to go to the public pool?

4. Who is ill when Penny awakens one morning not long after her birthday?

5. What is the flavor of the ice cream that Penny is gifted with while she is recuperating in the hospital?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the text in Chapter 17 of the book, what happens in relation to those who visit Penny as she continues her stay in the hospital?

2. According to the narrative in Chapter 20 of the book, do any new beings enter Penny's life after she returns home from the hospital?

3. Based on the narrative in Chapter 19, how does Penny finally learn the truth about the circumstances that had surrounded her father's death?

4. According to the text in Chapter 13 of the book, what normal events take place in Penny's life on her birthday?

5. According to the text in Chapter 17 of the book, what contributes to Penny's disappointment while she is in the hospital?

6. According to the narrative in Chapter 19, what contributes to Penny changing her attitude toward Mr. Mulligan change while she is in the hospital?

7. According to the narrative in the twelfth chapter of the book, how does Frankie attempt to turn Aunt Concetta's wake into what he considers to be a fun event for himself?

8. According to the narrative in Chapter 14 of the book, what contributes toward Penny shedding tears and telling her Uncle Dominic that her life is all messed up?

9. Based on the narrative in Chapter 14 of the book, why has Frankie decided to run to Penny's house and hide there?

10. According to the text in Chapter 15 of the book, what are some of the reasons that Penny should not join Frankie in going to the public pool?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the book, there are various sections that detail actions taken by family members on Penny's father's side that are aimed toward both protecting Penny, and providing her with certain material needs in her life. Could those actions be based largely on her father's members perhaps having vowed to take care of Penny at the time of her father's death? Or could their origin be based on their genuine affection and concern toward Penny's well-being? Cite text and/or paraphrase scenarios in support of your position.

Essay Topic 2

During Penny's stay in the hospital, Mr. Mulligan visits her, and the two begin a daily meeting of the minds in relation to the news of the day, which Mr. Mulligan shares with Penny via the newspaper. That series of events presents Penny with a pleasant personality traits of Mr. Mulligan that she was not familiar with, and that she learns to appreciate. Looking back at some of the things that Penny did to dissuade Mr. Mulligan from remaining romantically involved with her mother, such as being cross with him and lying to him about her mother having hit her, can Penny's new outlook toward him be based more on her desire for reconciliation, or on her finally accepting that a new man in both her life and that of her mother's may be inevitable and imminent? 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.

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