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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. Why is Shawn glad that Ally leaves before he got up?
2. What type of audience does The Alice Ponds Show attract?
3. What does Shawn's father say he did, night after night, when Shawn was born?
4. In the stanza of the poem that opens Chapter 9, what is the ghost bird replacing?
5. When does Paul realize what he is doing with the lighter?
Short Essay Questions
1. Shawn looks at his father, who is sitting on the bed apparently considering whether or not he should end Shawn's life. What does he notice about his father's appearance?
2. The morning after Ally spends the night, why does Shawn think that something is wrong?
3. In Chapter 14, why does Shawn fall asleep exhausted at ten o'clock that night?
4. How does Shawn describe the African animal mobile that hangs over his bed, and why does he describe it in this manner?
5. Which characters are going to Spokane in chapter 13 and why is it significant that they are going?
6. Paul and Cindy discuss their father's appearance on The Alice Ponds Show. What do they think about what their father says on the show?
7. How does Shawn react to meeting his sister's friend Ally, and why?
8. On The Alice Ponds Show, there is a clip of an interview between Sydney McDaniel and Earl Detraux. What does Earl Detraux look like and what is his demeanor?
9. What is Shawn's opinion of the role of memories and "being known for who you are" when someone dies?
10. What is in Shawn's father's bedroom that is reminiscent of the virtual ride through the cosmos at the science center and why is this significant?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
At the end of the novel, Sydney McDaniel comes into the room, sits down, and takes a quilted pillow from Shawn's oversized crib. Sydney cries as he speaks to Shawn and then confesses that he does not know what to do. Shawn is suddenly able to focus on his father and he thinks he finally connects with his father. Then Shawn has a seizure and floats away, realizing that he is flying free either way. So the novel ends without answering the question of whether Sydney kills Shawn. Is logical that Shawn has a seizure when he does in this chapter? Why or why not? What is the function of the seizure in this chapter? Did the author chose a cowardly or lazy way to end this novel? If not, why is it appropriate that the novel ends without answering the questions of whether Sydney kills Shawn?
Essay Topic 2
Shawn, his sister, and his mother witness the death of a dog that is hit by a car. How does this experience affect Shawn and his perception of death?
Part 1) What are the circumstances surrounding the death of the dog? How is the dog injured? What do Shawn's sister and mother do when the dog is injured? What do they do when the dog dies? What does Shawn see and experience when the dog dies and what is his attitude toward death just after the dog dies?
Part 2) Why is it important in the story that Shawn remembers witnessing the death of the dog? How does the topic of death relate to Shawn's own life? Does experiencing the death of the dog affect Shawn? How does Shawn feel about death as he remembers the death of the dog, and what does Shawn think death means at this point in his life?
Essay Topic 3
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?
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This section contains 1,582 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) |
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