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. In Chapter 12, Cindy admits to feeling guilty about what?

2. Who is initially confused in the dream about the angels?

3. Right before bed in Chapter 14, how is Shawn feeling?

4. In the stanza of the poem that opens Chapter 12, who or what is dead?

5. How is Sydney McDaniel introduced on The Alice Ponds Show?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In Chapter 14, why does Shawn fall asleep exhausted at ten o'clock that night?

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

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

5. What is Sydney McDaniel's definition of parental love, as offered on The Alice Ponds Show?

6. Which characters are going to Spokane in chapter 13 and why is it significant that they are going?

7. Why does Shawn say in Chapter 12 that he never loved or feared his brother more than at one particular moment the previous summer?

8. On The Alice Ponds Show, what is Alice Ponds' goal while interviewing Sydney McDaniel.

9. The morning after Ally spends the night, why does Shawn think that something is wrong?

10. How does Shawn describe the African animal mobile that hangs over his bed, and why does he describe it in this manner?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shawn's father is consumed by Shawn's vulnerability in the scene in which a crow lands on the power lines above Shawn's head.

Part 1) What does Sydney do or say regarding the crow? Are his words and actions in proportion to the threat of the crow? Why or why not? What does this reaction say about Sydney's opinion of Shawn's vulnerability

Part 2) Is Sydney's opinion of Shawn's vulnerability reasonable, excessive, or something else? How does Sydney's attitude toward Shawn's vulnerability add to our understanding of Sydney's character?

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,497 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample