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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. According to Chapter 1, what is Bell Town?
2. What gives Shawn a chill as his father is leaving his classroom after filming footage for the PBS Special?
3. What is Shawn's good news?
4. What color are the dog's eyes?
5. From what does the seizure medicine protect Shawn?
Short Essay Questions
1. What kinds of things is Shawn able to remember using his gift?
2. According to Shawn, who is the Shawn in the poem written by his father?
3. Describe what the special education class at Shoreline High School is like according to Shawn, and how the students behave.
4. What does Cindy do when the dog is hit by a car?
5. When talking to her mother, how does Cindy explain her experience with the dog's death?
6. What is Shawn able to do when his spirit leaves his body during a seizure?
7. Why does Shawn think that his father is smart?
8. How does Shawn describe his father?
9. Why does Shawn say that he has looked into death's eyes?
10. How does seeing the death of the dog make Shawn feel?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Watching The Alice Ponds Show, it is apparent that both Sydney McDaniel and Earl Detraux say that killing their children is about doing the right thing for the kids. Write an essay about the theme of parental responsibility and mercy killing a disabled child as it relates to Sydney and/or Earl. Pick one of these topics to write about.
Topic 1) What is Sydney's attitude toward the mercy killing a disabled child? It is analogous to what type of disciplinary action a parent might take? How does he relate it to parental responsibility? What is his attitude toward Earl's mercy killing of his child, Collin? Who or what does Sydney say killed Collin?
Topic 2) What is Earl's attitude toward the mercy killing of his own son? Why does he say he smothers him? How does he relate it to parental responsibility? What does he say when asked how he would feel if a cure for Collin is invented? How does this relate to parental responsibility? Is Earl's behavior an example of a mature level of parental responsibility? Why or why not?
Topic 3) What are the similarities and differences between Sydney's and Earl's point of view on parental responsibility and mercy killing a disabled child. Do you think that Earl's actions influence Sydney, validate Sydney's already-existing point of view, or something else? Is Sydney's thought process about mercy killing a disabled child indicative of a mature level of parental responsibility? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 2
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?
Essay Topic 3
What are Shawn's main methods for learning about life? Does he learn from people, through other means, or both? How does Shawn learn in these ways? What challenges does learning in these ways present? How does Shawn's intelligence and genius help or hinder him in the process when he encounters a learning challenge?
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This section contains 1,273 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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