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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. For what does Sergeant Burke apologize in 1957?

2. How long are Bernadette and Ena kept in the shed until the boy's father finds them?

3. An army chaplain comes to the school to talk to the boys about what?

4. According to Chapter 6, what was Tony's job before he disappeared?

5. What does the boy's mother say out-of-the-blue while he is washing dishes with his father?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Sergeant Burke's purpose for going to the boy's mother and revealing all that he knows of Eddie's death?

2. The boy's mother is saddened throughout the entire novel, but why does her depression set in after her grandfather dies?

3. Why does Katie's family refuse to attend Meave's wedding?

4. How does his mother's inability to speak because of her stroke affect her relationship with the boy?

5. Describe the relationship between Tony, Katie, and the boy's mother.

6. What is the boy punished for by the Dean and what is his punishment?

7. What does the boy mean when he says he has become the "plague himself" by wanting to know what had "plagued her"?

8. How is the boy's mother's interpretation of the story of Sean and the baby sock a reflection on her own relationship with Tony McIlhenny and her role in Eddie's murder?

9. What scripture passages does the boy enjoy reading, but why do they trouble him?

10. How does the boy conclude that it was his mother who tipped off McIlhenny?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of secrets within the text. What kind of impact does secret-keeping have on the characters of the novel? How does it affect the plot as it progresses? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

As the novel progresses, the mystery of Eddie's disappearance is pieced together by the boy narrator.

1. What does the boy learn about his family because of the family secret?

2. How has the boy's relationship with his parents changed as the secret has been revealed?

3. How has the boy's determination to find out the secret changed as the secret slowly becomes revealed?

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?

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