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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 does the boy ride home with Sergeant Burke in the police car?

2. To whom is Larry McLaughlin related?

3. During the war, when the alarms go off because of the air raids, where does the family hide?

4. On what day do the Francis and Frances' parents die?

5. Which section of the library does Crazy Joe frequent?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why is the boy uncomfortable with the sympathy he feels for the police after Rory Hannaway's death?

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

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

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

6. Why does the boy throw a rock at Sergeant Burke's police car?

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

8. Describe Grianan.

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

10. How is the boy's father's life seen as very difficult and sad?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

What is the significance of disappearance and death as themes in the novel?

1. Are these themes important to keeping the secret a mystery to the boy?

2. How does the story of Eddie's death change for the boy as more people disappear or die?

3. How are the stories told by the characters (Sean, Francis, Frances, Brigid, Claire Falkener, Grenaghan, etc.) all related to this theme of death and disappearance?

Essay Topic 3

If you were the boy narrator, would you have kept the information you found out about Eddie's death a secret? The boy narrator does not reveal to his mother what he knows; would you have done the same? What might have changed if the boy had told his mother what he knew?

(see the answer keys)

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