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. The final time Anderson's mother hit Anderson in the face occurred after what event?

2. Anderson and her family were terrified for years that Anderson's father would take what action?

3. When Anderson was young, she and her friends liked to pretend they were taking what action as they rode their bikes?

4. The children's book author Russell Hoban wrote children's books about a family of what type of animals?

5. What kind of burns are said to have the potential to be lethal?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Anderson use sarcasm in order to make a point at the end of the poem entitled “ignorance” (83)?

2. According to Anderson, what element is necessary in order to heal from the trauma of sexual violence?

3. What painful realization does Anderson have during high school in relation to her parents?

4. What is ironic about the experience that teaches Anderson that some words are too powerful to be expressed aloud?

5. In what form is Anderson's memoir written and which of the text’s goals does this choice help Anderson to fulfill?

6. What event teaches Anderson that some words are too powerful ever to be spoken aloud?

7. In what way did travel underscore for Anderson what she did not want to happen in her own life?

8. In what way was a gym teacher at Anderson’s school instrumental in her process of healing?

9. What evidence does Anderson provide for her claim that physical activity helped her to gain courage?

10. What metaphor does Anderson use to depict the enormous anger that seemed to take over her rapist's body and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what way does Anderson herald and/or denigrate the use of coping mechanisms in dealing with trauma and how does Anderson’s treatment of this topic relate to the poetry memoir's depicted messages?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Anderson's choice to tell the story of SHOUT using the form of a poetry memoir. What elements of the story’s themes lend themselves to this choice and what are Anderson’s intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Anderson’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of SHOUT.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,101 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample