View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How do Melanie and Benji sneak out of Benji's old house?

2. What does Benji think of the concert in retrospect?

3. What question does everyone ask at the bonfire?

4. What happened to the band shortly after the concert?

5. What are Benji and Melanie doing as they discuss their childhoods?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are people under the age of 19 not allowed at the Lisa Lisa concert?

2. Why is it problematic for Benji to have a crush on Erica?

3. How is Benji feeling when he hears his parents pull into the driveway in Chapter 7?

4. Why does Melanie leave Sag Harbor when she's younger?

5. According to Benji in Chapter 5, why was The Cosby Show so groundbreaking?

6. Why is Benji's make-out session with Melanie so awkward afterward?

7. What makes Benji feel extra proud about being able to sneak into the Lisa Lisa concert in Chapter 6?

8. What do Benji and Melanie talk about during their walk in Chapter 7?

9. What does Benji only realize in retrospect about his father's haircuts?

10. Why does Melanie return to Sag Harbor in Chapter 7?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss at least 3 challenges an author, like Whitehead, faces when having a novel take place during a specific decade from the past (e.g., the 1980s). Make sure to use at least 3 examples from "Sag Harbor" to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss at least 3 literary devices Whitehead uses within the first 2 chapters to help the reader better understand Benji as both a character and the protagonist. Make sure to use examples and/or quotations from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Describe at least 4 features of Benji and how those features fulfill the traditional, literary requirements of a teenager/young adult.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 725 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample