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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 does Broome remember his own father often doing to him in childhood that hurt Broome?

2. Where does Broome learn everything he every learned about white people?

3. In what state does Broome grow up?

4. What does Broome do in Part II concerning two of his friends that he later feels ashamed of?

5. What does the young boy on the bus sing over and over in Part I?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Broome often do in middle school that brings him some level of social acceptance?

2. How does Broome feel the first time he goes to the Arena Health Club?

3. What happens with Broome's encounter with the girl he is supposed to have sex with in "Colder"?

4. What does Broome think will happen to his father after the fire?

5. What does Broome's mother tell him after the incident at the Red Caboose?

6. How does Broome think Mr. Nye views him?

7. What does the Spelling Bee in the section "Bee" mean to Broome?

8. In "The Rent," what do Broome's roommates at college confront him about?

9. How does Broome feel about going to his first Pride parade in Pittsburgh?

10. What does Broome's father do after his mother separates from her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Part I, why is the spelling bee so important to Broome, and what does he understand almost intuitively about his teacher Mr. Nye's perceptions and expectations of him? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What influence do the writings and philosophies of James Baldwin have on Broome, as both Broome and the writer of the Introduction, Yona Harvey, explain them? Write an essay describing your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Broome explain his realization, in childhood, that he was different from other boys of his age? How did Broome come to feel about the characteristics that apparently seemed to set him apart from his peers and identify him as an object of ridicule? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 712 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample