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. According to the discussion between Shawn's parents the last time that Shawn's father feeds him, who does not believe in God?

2. In Chapter 8, what idea is more confusing to Shawn because he knows that his father loves him?

3. What does the crow do that startles Shawn and his father?

4. During the premiere reading of the poem, where is Shawn sitting?

5. What does Shawn try not to do too much?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kinds of things is Shawn able to remember using his gift?

2. How does Sydney McDaniel support his argument that schools waste money educating the ineducable?

3. Why does Shawn think that it is cool to live in Seattle?

4. What does Lindy say to her friend Connie about her feelings toward Sydney's abandonment of the family?

5. What is Shawn's out-of-body experience like while his father is in the classroom shooting video with a cameraman?

6. How does Shawn's special gift progress and strengthen?

7. Why does Shawn think that his father is smart?

8. What does Shawn's father throw at the crow, and does he hit or miss its target?

9. How does Shawn learn to read?

10. In Chapter 5, Shawn notes that his father has been a public figure because of the poem he writes about Shawn. Name three things that fame brings to Shawn's father.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shawn states that he does not like it when people are called "special." Write about at least two characters who can be considered "special" in Stuck in Neutral.

Part 1) What does Shawn mean by "special," who is considered "special," and in what way are there characters in Stuck in Neutral considered special?

Part 2) How does Shawn's attitude and the attitude of others about being considered "special" add tension to the plot?

Essay Topic 2

Shawn's mother calls his brother and sister into the living room, to tell Paul and Cindy that their father is working on the Earl Detraux project. Describe the reaction of Cindy and Paul to their father's latest project and the talk show.

Part 1) What is Cindy's reaction to her father's latest project, both before and after the kids discuss it with their mother. Does she already know about Detraux? What does she think about what Earl does? What does she think about her father's involvement in this topic, and to what does she attribute his involvement? Consider the same questions for Paul.

Part 2) Describe the difference in how Cindy and Paul react to their father's project after they discuss the topic with their mother.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Shawn love his seizures? Why does Shawn's father, on the other hand, see Shawn's seizures as a symbol of the pain he thinks Shawn experiences on a daily basis? Explore the irony of the contrast between the reality of Shawn's seizures and his father's perception of them.

Part 1) How does Shawn describe his seizures? What can he do while he is having a seizure that he cannot do at any other time?

Part 2) What is Shawn's father's perception of Shawn's seizures? What does he base his perception on? How valid are his perceptions? What does Shawn's father assume about his quality of life because of his seizures? What does Shawn think his father is planning as a result of Shawn's seizures and his father's assumption that they are painful. Why is this ironic?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,327 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample