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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. What item is not in Shawn's father's bedroom?

2. In Chapter 13, Shawn cannot stop thinking about his father. How long has it been since The Alice Ponds Show?

3. What is Shawn's bed like at home?

4. Shawn, Cindy, and Paul all know what when it comes to their father?

5. In Chapter 12, what is Paul's punishment?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Shawn mean when he says that "invisibility has its advantages" when it comes to girls?

2. What is apparent about the relationship between Paul and his father after Paul finds out that his father wants him to go on the Alice Ponds show?

3. In Chapter 14, Shawn dreams that his father sees angels. What is the significance of the angels?

4. If Shawn has never been to his father's house, does Shawn have an accurate knowledge of what his father's bedroom looks like, and if so, how does he know?

5. Why does Paul grab Cindy by the shirt front and pull back his fist to hit her?

6. What are some of the things in Chapter 10 that Shawn remembers about his mother from over the years that make him feel loved?

7. What did Shawn's father do at the Pacific Science Center when Shawn was eight years old?

8. Why is it significant that Shawn's father volunteers to take care of Shawn by himself overnight and sends Vonda home?

9. 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?

10. What is Shawn's opinion of the role of memories and "being known for who you are" when someone dies?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One evening, Shawn is left with Vonda, his respite care provider. That evening, lying alone in the dark, Shawn hears his father come into the house. Vonda is a fan of Mr. McDaniel and asks for an autograph. How is Vonda's behavior toward Shawn and Sydney symbolic of the way they each are treated by the general population? How did this dichotomy come about? How does it affect Shawn's quality of life in general? What might it mean in particular on the night that Shawn's father's orders are followed unquestioningly? Provide examples from the novel to back up your point of view.

Essay Topic 2

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 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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