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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. How many clubs does Heather want Melinda to join?

2. On what is Melinda concentrating in art class in "First Marking Period"?

3. How does Melinda think Heather got into the clan?

4. What does Heather say is necessary for advancement?

5. Who solves a math problem at the board in "First Marking Period"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn't Melinda go trick or treating, and what does she do on Halloween?

2. Describe Melinda's Thanksgiving Day.

3. What is making it more difficult for Melinda to talk, and what does she wish to do about what is keeping her quiet?

4. What happens to Melinda in the cafeteria at lunch on the first day of school?

5. How does Melinda find a safe space for herself at school and what is the space like?

6. Who introduces herself to Melinda in "First Marking Period", and why is she friendly when no one else is?

7. What does Melinda do after school on Columbus Day?

8. What happens in algebra class that feels disastrous to Melinda?

9. Describe Melinda's encounter with Rachel in the bathroom in "First Marking Period".

10. What is the topic of discussion at dinner after the interim reports come out, and how does Melinda respond?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Melinda is a ninth grader (about age 13) throughout the novel. Discuss the following:

1. What are some ways that Melinda seems like an average 13 year old? Give examples and why you say the activities are average teen activities.

2. What are some ways that Melinda seems older than her age of 13? Give specific examples and discuss whether they seem consistent with the character of Melinda as she is developed throughout the book.

3. Is it realistic to think a 13 year old can handle the trauma of rape alone? Where do you think Melinda could have turned to for help?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following:

1. Define irony in literary terms. Discuss the irony of the situation whereby Melinda chooses to make an abandoned closet her safe space because she herself has been abandoned by her friends. What other examples of irony can you find in Speak? Do you think irony enhances the book? Why or why not?

2. Define symbolism in literary terms. Discuss the use and meaning of five symbols you choose to analyze from Speak. What do they symbolize? Is the symbolism obvious? Effective? Does the symbolism contribute to the enjoyment of reading?

3. Discuss five literary devices that occur in Speak and how they are used. Are they effective? Do they add or detract from the reading of the book? Why or why not? Some possible devices: Allusion, connotation, denouement, dialogue, flashback, figurative language, motif, metaphor, narrator, point of view, simile, mood, and puns.

Essay Topic 3

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not?

5. What type of plot do you think Speak is? Explain your response.

(see the answer keys)

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