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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. What is Gran burning?

2. Where does Ezra go with Nyle?

3. What does Gran say to Nyle asking about the Trents staying on indefinitely?

4. What does Mrs. Trent ask Nyle do to before Mrs. Trent leaves the kitchen?

5. What does Ezra decide about his life?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Muncie respond to Nyle finally telling her about Ezra? Do you think Muncie's response is reasonable?

2. How does Ezra respond to the sirens they hear, and why do you think he reacts the way he does?

3. How does Muncie try to prepare Nyle for Ezra's possible death?

4. How do you think Nyle may be compounding the rift in her friendship with Muncie in this chapter?

5. How does Nyle wisely help Ezra feel comfortable in her room?

6. What gets Nyle thinking about her father and why is she mad at him (though, perhaps she unconscious of the reason)?

7. How does Nyle and Gran's discussion about the Trent's future show Nyle's continued maturing?

8. What is admirable about Uncle Lemmy's choices after the nuclear disaster?

9. Do you think the government would be as unresponsive in "real" life to people caught in a nuclear accident such as the one that happens in this story?

10. Describe Muncie's reaction to Nyle wanting to sit next to her on the bus.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Setting is important in any story, but in this one it is what drives the story. Answer the following questions in a well-developed essay using specific examples and details:

1. What is the setting of the story?

2. Why is the setting so critical to the plot?

3. Do you or would you live near to a nuclear power plant? Why or why not?

4. Could this setting have been anyplace where there was a nuclear power plant? In other words, is that fact the only critical aspect to the setting?

Essay Topic 2

In chapter 2, Nyle asks Gran about anger. Nyle admits to being so angry she can see "the blood inside your eyes." Gran wisely advises her to lose the anger because it is not good for a person to hang on to that kind of anger. Choose one of the following questions and write a well-developed essay using specific examples and details:

1. Do you think Gran's advice is sound? Why or why not?

2. How do you think Nyle can go about "losing" her anger?

3. Where else does Nyle's anger appear in the story? Is her anger justified? Understandable? What can she do to let go of the anger?

4. Can you use your advice about how Nyle can let go of her anger and apply it to any way your own anger is sparked? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

In chapter 15, Nyle brings up the idea of Mrs. Trent and Ezra staying on after Ezra is well. Gran tells her that it is important for them to make a fresh start, and in order to do so, Mrs. Trent and Ezra need to leave. Answer the following questions by writing a cohesive essay using specific examples and details to illustrate your stance.

1. Do you think Mrs. Trent and Ezra would be unable to heal emotionally from the accident if they continue to live in the area? Why or why not?

2. This small act of letting go that Nyle does in chapter 15 is a prelude to a much greater act of letting go that Nyle must do in chapter 29. What happens that helps Nyle mature to the point that she learns to let go? Give some examples of her maturing process between chapters 15 and 29.

3. At this point in the story, it seems possible that Ezra will heal completely and be able to start a new life elsewhere. Knowing how so much of what happens in this chapter and the next 10 or so chapters, points to a complete recovery, how hard is it for you, the reader, to also "let go" and accept that Ezra dies? Do you feel tricked or cheated?

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