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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. Shelley gets a spot on her ________________.

2. Why does Alex nearly start a fight with one of the soccer players?

3. What make of car does Brittany drive to school?

4. Who does Colin spend his time talking to at the baseball game?

5. Why does Brittany rush home after practice?

Short Essay Questions

1. What bet does Alex make with his friends regarding Brittany?

2. Why is Brittany initially resistant to Alex's flirtations?

3. Who is Carmen and why might Brittany have reason to fear her?

4. Where does Brittany spend the night when she is drunk and why do she and Alex fight the next morning?

5. What does Brittany's mother's treatment of Alex indicate about how different his life is from Brittany's?

6. What information about their personal pain do Brittany and Alex admit to each other at the abandoned airport?

7. What does the author reveal about Brittany's life that is different from outside appearances?

8. What does Alex know he will have to do eventually as a member of the Latino Bloods and why is he so resistant to the idea?

9. Why does Alex allow Carmen to seduce him on the beach even though he no longer wants to be involved with her?

10. Why are Alex and Brittany punished after the first day in Chemistry class?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Substance abuse seems to be an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the abuse? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the characters' lives? How does it affect the abusers? How does it affect those impacted by the abusers? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the story. Which of the characters are lonely? Are they all lonely in some way? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the major settings for the novel. Why does Elkeles use the settings she does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

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This section contains 958 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample