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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 the interview of Earl Detraux on the Alice Ponds Show, what is his quality of life like currently?
2. Who flies to Los Angeles to appear on The Alice Ponds Show?
3. What does Vonda usually do when she is with Shawn?
4. Cindy says something on the Alice Ponds Show that Paul calls "classic." What does she say?
5. On The Alice Ponds Show, what does Sydney McDaniel claim kills Collin?
Short Essay Questions
1. Why is Vonda excited to meet Shawn's father?
2. On The Alice Ponds Show, what is Alice Ponds' goal while interviewing Sydney McDaniel.
3. 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?
4. What is the Annie-Sullivan-meeting-Helen Keller-in-The Miracle-Worker routine and what does Shawn think about it?
5. What is Sydney McDaniel's definition of parental love, as offered on The Alice Ponds Show?
6. 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?
7. Which characters are going to Spokane in chapter 13 and why is it significant that they are going?
8. What does Shawn think about after viewing the clip of an interview between Sydney McDaniel and Earl Detraux on the Alice Ponds Show?
9. 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?
10. What are some of the things in Chapter 10 that Shawn remembers about his mother from over the years that make him feel loved?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The theme of quality of life is central to Stuck in Neutral. Shawn is considered by some to have the life and awareness of a vegetable.
Part 1) How does Shawn first misinterpret this concept? What does it really mean? Who thinks that Shawn is a vegetable? Are they correct? Why or why not? How do the concepts of being a vegetable being famous, or being productive relate to "quality of life?" How does the concept of being productive relate?
Part 2) Shawn describes how his father enjoys life and how he is productive. Are these things that Shawn can aspire to doing as well? How might the inability to do these things cause Shawn's father and others to judge Shawn's quality of life? Does Shawn agree with them? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 2
Shawn thinks about how he and his father both have double jointed thumbs and how his father will sometimes perform the "thumb ritual."
Part 1) Provide at least three reasons how the author uses the double-jointed thumbs as an element in the novel. For each, explain how it adds to the novel. Does the juxtaposition of Shawn's thumbs and his father's thumbs create a comparison, contrast, irony, foreshadow, or something else?
Part 2) How does Shawn say he feels during this ritual. Explain what Shawn's feelings about his father during this ritual contributes to the novel.
Essay Topic 3
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?
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This section contains 1,544 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) |
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