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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 do Paul and his mother find out about the smoke?

2. What does Paul do when conversation about Erik and football starts?

3. Who takes Paul's glasses from him and cleans the mud off?

4. What does Erik tell kids when they ask why Paul wears such thick glasses?

5. Who sees the smoke at the house Sunday morning first?

Short Essay Questions

1. What memory does Paul recall when he starts school on Monday?

2. What does Paul find out about the problem in question #3?

3. What does Paul wear when he plays soccer and what do the kids say about them?

4. Why is Paul called into the principal's office the Monday after his trip to the carnival and what does Paul do?

5. Who comes by the house from the Owners' Association, who is his son and what happens when Paul's father returns home?

6. To what does Paul wake on August 9, who does he tell and what does she say to him? What do they do about the problem?

7. What changes in Tangerine does Paul foresee and what does he think about himself and changes?

8. What boy Paul's age does Paul meet and what does he see while Paul watches soccer practice?

9. How did Erik learn to kick and what did Mr. Fisher do when Erik started playing football?

10. What does Paul's mother do about Mike's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tangerine belongs to the young adult novel genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the young adult novel genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between a young adult novel and a historical novel mystery?

Essay Topic 2

Erik pointing out that the "farm labor kids" have been invited to town. Paul urges Tino to ignore them, but Tino can't, and when he confronts Erik, Erik hits him full in the face with his fist.

1. It has been said that people who are prejudice or make fun of others are doing it out of their own sense of inferiority. Do you agree or not agree with this? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. What might be the situation in Tino's life that makes it difficult for him to ignore Erik's taunts? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. What do you think Erik hitting such a younger boy with his fist says about Erik's character? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Over the course of Tangerine, Paul grows as a person in both complexity and understanding. Tangerine might be considered a slice of Paul's larger story of his "coming of age." It might be said that Tangerine is a "bildungsroman" of Paul Fisher. Discuss the following:

1. Define Bildungsroman, or "Coming of Age," and give several examples from literature you have read.

2. Trace and analyze the character of Paul as he changes from a more carefree, innocent boy to a wiser, young man. What are the significant events that change Paul?

3. After thoroughly analyzing Paul's growth throughout Tangerine, do you think Tangerine could be considered Paul's Coming of Age story? Why or why not?

4. Are there any other characters in Tangerine who go through a Coming of Age experience? Who? Why do you think so?

(see the answer keys)

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