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

2. According to the boy's father, how long has the boy's mother known about Eddie?

3. Where does the boy tell his father in Chapter 2 that he would like to go?

4. Why does the boy's mother lie to Katie about why the boy's father started drinking again?

5. Why does Brigid think she is going mad?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How do we see the boy react and respond to his circumstances in Chapter 1 instead of accepting them at face value?

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

4. Describe Grianan.

5. How can we see in Chapter 2 that the belief in the supernatural is a powerful force in Northern Ireland during this time?

6. Describe the narrator.

7. How are superstitions introduced in Chapter 1?

8. What happens to Frances and Francis?

9. What strong religious beliefs of his community does the boy share in the beginning of Chapter 1?

10. Describe Crazy Joe.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the significance of silence in the novel.

1.) How and why does Larry McLaughlin stop talking? How does it affect the family secret?

2.) How and why does Brigid stop talking? What does this reflect on Larry's own silence?

3.) How and why does the boy's mother stop talking? How does this affect her inner turmoil?

Essay Topic 2

Which parts of the story and characters of the novel do you identify with? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Good vs. evil is an important theme in the novel. Show how three characters made the wrong decision in regards to Eddie's death and explain what they should have done differently.

(see the answer keys)

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