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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. Which of the following laws did DeJarnette advocate for the passage of?

2. Two days before Ryan is scheduled to be released from the detention center, what does he do to another child?

3. In their last practice session before the Met competition final in Chapter 7, what does the conductor tell Ryan he is doing wrong?

4. What does Valerie do when she finds that Ryan and Adrian have hidden a wizard card game she forbade them from playing?

5. What is one problem Ryan experiences in buying formal clothes?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Priscilla Jenkins treat Ryan with kindness and compassion in the DeJarnette Center, even as he treats her terribly?

2. Who is the juvenile detention center that Ryan is placed in in Chapter 7 named after?

3. In Chapter 6, what are some of the negative impacts of Valerie's religious beliefs on Ryan and Adrian as they grow up?

4. Why does Valerie, Ryan's mother, tell Bergner she passed up the opportunity to attend the Air Force Academy?

5. In Chapter 7, what is Ryan worried is contributing to his difficulties with Italian pronunciation?

6. How do Ryan and Adrian remember their mother Valerie's relationship with Barry?

7. In Chapter 5, what does Bernger note about the appearance of the three women who were picked for the Met's young singers' competition final round?

8. What does Gayletha Nichols' experience with the operatic arts entail?

9. In Chapter 1, why is Banquo's aria from Verdi's opera Macbeth a meaningful audition piece for Ryan?

10. Why does Valerie get so angry at Cecil when she flies home to her apartment after being stationed in Korea?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the impact Mr. Brown, Ryan's music teacher at the Virginia Governor's School for the Arts, has on Ryan's life and career. What are some of the major struggles Mr. Brown faces in his own life before his death?

Essay Topic 2

Although Ryan befriends his fellow singer and competitor Philippe during the Met's contest, he becomes more and more aware of the gulf in the backgrounds and confidence. Write an essay comparing and contrasting Ryan's and Philippe's experiences and how their backgrounds seem to affect each singer's attitudes towards the Met's competition.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing how Ryan's relationship with his brother Adrian changed from childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood. Make sure to cite specific examples from the text in your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 951 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample