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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens to both Brigid and Larry in Chapter 2?
(a) They have lost their ability to speak.
(b) They are killed.
(c) They have both lost their jobs.
(d) They both cannot see.

2. Why does the boy's mother lie to Katie about why the boy's father started drinking again?
(a) Because Katie knew nothing about Eddie's disappearance.
(b) Because she would have to reveal that Katie's husband was the informer.
(c) Because she didn't want Katie to know Eddie was the informer.
(d) Because she didn't want to tell Katie that Eddie was executed.

3. What does Crazy Joe say Larry's mysterious woman turns into?
(a) A deer.
(b) A butterfly.
(c) A bird.
(d) A fox.

4. Who is Katie?
(a) The boy's grandmother.
(b) The boy's sister.
(c) The boy's mother's sister.
(d) The boy's father's aunt.

5. What key theme of the novel is introduced in Chapter 1?
(a) The conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants.
(b) The conflict between the police and the IRA.
(c) The disappearance of the boy's uncle.
(d) The death of the boy's sister.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the real informer?

2. What does "The Shan Van Vocht" mean?

3. Who is Ena?

4. What happens to the distillery after the shootout?

5. Why is the murder case of 1921 thrown out of court?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn't the author ever reveal the narrator's first name?

2. What does the boy's grandfather tell him right before he dies?

3. Why is the disappearance of Uncle Eddie such a mystery?

4. What happens to Frances and Francis?

5. Describe the events surrounding the distillery and what happens to it.

6. How is the theme of disappearance used in Chapter 1?

7. How is the novel The Shan Van Vocht an example of female symbolism?

8. When the boy's father takes him and his brother Liam out on the boat, what does his father reveal to them and why does it make the boy feel uncomfortable?

9. How does the boy get rid of the rat problem?

10. The theme of disappearance is further discussed in Chapter 2. Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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