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. What does Jamal do when he and Dwayne are alone before the fight?

2. What does Jamal find in the gang headquarters?

3. What does Jamal's father say Jamal needs to help his mother with?

4. What was Randy sent to prison for?

5. What grade is Sassy in?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Jamal sent to the principal after his meeting with Mack?

2. How does Mama plan to raise the money she says she needs at the beginning of the book?

3. What is Jamal asked to do when he helps paint the sets, and how does he feel about this?

4. What does Jamal do after school the day after his meeting with Mack?

5. In Chapter 5, what does Mack say Randy told him?

6. What kind of things do Jamal and Tito do together?

7. Who does the principal blame for Jamal's tardiness and why?

8. Who does Randy want Jamal to talk to, and how does Mama feel about this?

9. What does Jamal want for Christmas?

10. How does Jamal feel when he gets home after his meeting with the Scorpions?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Personal identity was one of the main themes in this book. Where did this theme appear, and how did its inclusion in the novel shape the course of the plot?

Essay Topic 2

Fear is a common theme in this book that is presented a number of times by a number of characters. What are some of these instances, and how does fear affect the characters in the book?

Essay Topic 3

Jamal saw the men in his life making his mother cry, and promised himself to never do the same thing. How did Jamal go about keeping this promise, and how did this shape the course of the plot?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 694 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample