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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 army came in and almost arrested Battista and her husband?

2. Why does Cosimo finally have to pay attention to life again?

3. What is Cosimo doing for long periods of time as an old man?

4. Why do the townspeople raise a bed in the trees for Cosimo?

5. Why has Father Don Sulpico reappeared in the area?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Cosimo and Viola feel right before they separate?

2. How does Cosimo demonstrate his support for justice and fairness in chapter twenty-six?

3. What kind of stories does Biagio tell at the beginning of chapter twenty and who has he spoken with about his brother?

4. What does Biagio say about Viola and Cosimo's relationship?

5. Describe the dream Cosimo had in chapter twenty-nine.

6. What does Biagio say when he reflects on the ideals he and his brother had as youth?

7. What army show up in chapter twenty-eight and who is almost arrested by them?

8. What happens to Cosimo's father in chapter sixteen?

9. How does Cosimo die?

10. What is written about Cosimo's love life in chapter nineteen and how is it described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While Cosimo never tries, he lives with an unapologetic conviction that life can be lived fully, selflessly, even nobly, in unbroken communion with nature.

1. What do you think this statement means? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

2. Do you think people in America today could live the kind of life Cosimo envisions, though not necessarily living in trees? Why or why not?

3. How do you think life in modern American would be different if most people believed the way Cosimo does?

Essay Topic 2

In the trees, he and the boys are quite able to exist as equals, on the ground the boys return to sad, filthy places to be scolded and beaten by mothers who refuse to feed them if they have not been able to steal enough to feed themselves. This is the beginning of social awareness in young Cosimo.

1. How do you think Cosimo's beliefs about the world changes when he follows the boys home? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

2. Why do you think a rich boy like Cosimo has never seen or known how poor people live? Do you think this situation exist today? Why or why not?

3. How do you think wealthy people in the United States might change if they lived in the poorer part of town for a year?

Essay Topic 3

The lesson Cosimo learns in chapter fourteen is that a problem that unites people is a powerful force for good as long as it exists.

1. What do you think is meant by this statement? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

2. Do you think uniting people for a bad reason can be as powerful as for good? Why or why not?

3. If you had a task to do that would require a group to finish it, how would you go about organizing and inspiring them?

(see the answer keys)

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