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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 does Jim do to Solo that causes Riley to wonder why Solo puts up with Jim's bad treatment?

2. What class does Riley have second period?

3. What kind of "punk vibe" (1) does Riley say their first-day-of-school outfit exudes?

4. For Riley's first lunch at Park Hills High School, plan B is to join the pierced and tattooed students at their table. What is plan A?

5. How does Riley style their hair on the first day of school?

Short Essay Questions

1. What clothing does Riley choose for the first day of public high school, and what is Riley hoping to accomplish with this choice?

2. When the girl contemplating suicide contacts Riley, what piece of Riley's advice does she take that leads to negative consequences?

3. What does Riley mean with the words, "At least I can tell Doctor Ann I tried"? (1)

4. With what question does Riley begin their very first blog post on page one of the novel?

5. What is the significance of Riley's request to study with Bec rather than attending the political fundraiser?

6. What is the significance of Riley's choice of an air raid siren as a waking alarm?

7. What does Doctor Ann say about the act of "wondering if it's okay to be who you are" (110) and how do her comments relate to the novel's title?

8. How does Riley feel about the lack of uniforms at the public high school?

9. What is demonstrated about Solo's character when he tells Riley that "High school sucks for everyone" (95)?

10. What action does Riley describe as being "like a suicide ritual" (64)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is the topic of individualism treated within the novel and how does its treatment relate to the book's repeated allusions to punk rock music?

Essay Topic 2

What is the novel's message concerning the link between courage and mental health?

Essay Topic 3

Look carefully at the passages of the novel that describe Riley's outreach through the creation of a blog. What is the author's purpose for discussing at length the nature of Riley's method of outreach?

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This section contains 1,290 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample