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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. Ralph makes busts made of clay and ____________.

2. What clay figure is Ralph working on for the bank receptionist?

3. Where do the boys drive through the next morning?

4. What does Ralph want to buy in Colorado?

5. Ralph and Lonnie begin making a good living by doing what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the boys end up driving to El Paso?

2. What expenses do the boys incur in El Paso that really drains their funds?

3. What does Ralph decide to do when Lonnie starts to drain his money and what kind of person does this show Ralph to be?

4. What positive points does Ralph have to focus on after Lonnie leaves with the car and all Ralph's money?

5. What is shown about the boys' personalities in this section?

6. How does Lonnie show his bartering skills in town?

7. What does Ralph take to the bank in Safford and what offer does he make there?

8. Describe the difficult time that Ralph has with the attorney in El Paso.

9. Why does Ralph allow Lonnie to take undeserved credit for the clay bust projects?

10. What food is Ralph preparing for Christmas dinner and what ingredients does he send Lonnie to town to purchase?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Coming of age is an important theme in "Shaking the Nickel Bush". Can you cite an example to support this theme? Name two other themes and cite examples to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Ralph and Lonnie. Both young men are trying to carve out new lives but seem to have different methods and goals. How are Ralph and Lonnie alike? How are they different? On what things do they agree? What is the thing that threatens to separate them? What other similarities and dissimilarities are there between the two characters?

Essay Topic 3

What is the point of view of the story? What are the benefits and the limitations to this particular point of view? How is the point of view determined? Provide an example that supports your answer.

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This section contains 930 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample