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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. As Moby tells Sarah Byrnes about Jody's abortion, what does Sarah Byrnes do that Moby has never seen before?

2. When Moby walks away from his locker, what does the person waiting for him blurt out?

3. When Mr. Mautz begins arguing with Reverend Ellerby about what the Reverend advocates from his pulpit, which topic does Mr. Mautz NOT mention?

4. As Moby recovers in the hospital from Virgil's attack, whose visit to Moby really surprises Moby?

5. According to Ms. Lemry, who is responsible for Mark's actions?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sarah Byrnes' mother respond when Sarah Byrnes asks her mother to come back and testify against Virgil?

2. How does Ms. Lemry respond when Mark Brittain insists that everything is about Christianity?

3. As the CAT class heads into the last day of their abortion discussion, what piece of advice does Ms. Lemry give to Ellerby?

4. Why does Moby not tell the police about Virgil's threats?

5. After hearing what the man waiting for Moby and Ellerby tells them when the two boys are called to the office during their study hall, how does Ellerby respond to the man's words?

6. When Moby asks the person he finds folding towels their opinion about Moby's dating Jody Mueller, what response does Moby get?

7. After Sarah Byrnes bolts from the psych ward, why does Moby return to the psych ward to speak with Laurel?

8. What is the biggest danger if Sarah Byrnes testifies unsuccessfully against her father?

9. When Moby and Sarah Byrnes go for a walk, they are watched by her father. How do they communicate since Sarah Byrnes can't be seen talking?

10. When Moby goes looking for someone to talk to about the possibility of dating Jody Mueller, why does the person he finds consider folding towels to be therapy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Crutcher uses this story to examine the role that truth plays in our daily lives. Examine the author's beliefs through his storytelling. Why would the author choose this story to overlay his demonstration of the consequences realized when the truth is distorted or hidden? What did you learn from the author's discussion on truth? What other avenues, if any, could the author have used to express his beliefs? Would those avenues have been as effective as the story? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast how the character of Sarah Byrnes changes as the story progresses. Be sure to include your assessment of her character when she is first introduced in the story, when she is caught faking her mental health break, when she searches for her mother, and when she is adopted at the end of the story. Use examples from the story to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

In many ways, the novel is a series of contrasts designed to heighten the reader's awareness and draw the reader deeper into the story and the intricacies of each of the story's characters. Identify at least three contrasts that are used in the novel. Describe these contrasts and determine how they impact the story's plot, as well as the reader's emotional involvement in the characters' lives. If these identified contrasts were not included in the story, what impact would their absence have on the storyline, the characters' development and the readers' involvement?

(see the answer keys)

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