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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What part of their home do the Herdman siblings play with in order to try to hurt one another?
(a) The roof.
(b) The pool.
(c) The gutter.
(d) The garage door.

2. What is the name of the school nurse?
(a) Miss Kentucky.
(b) Miss Hemphill.
(c) Miss Johnson.
(d) Miss Cranston.

3. The narrator describes the traditional Christmas pageant prior to this year as "people shuffling around" (17) the stage wearing all but which of the following items?
(a) Bent halos.
(b) Bathrobes.
(c) Sharp wings.
(d) Bedsheets.

4. What preparations does Claude make when he brings the cat to Show-and-Tell?
(a) He gives the cat a bath.
(b) He dyes the cat a vibrant shade of purple.
(c) He shaves the cat.
(d) He lets the cat go hungry for two days.

5. Who is the oldest child in the Herdman family?
(a) Ollie.
(b) Leroy.
(c) Ralph.
(d) Gladys.

Short Answer Questions

1. The narrator begins the novel by declaring that "the Herdmans were absolutely the" what "kids in the history of the world" (1)?

2. Who usually coordinates the Christmas pageant?

3. What rule is enacted during Show-and-Tell after Claude Herdman's participation?

4. The narrator describes the Herdman siblings as being all alike in appearance, except for what two elements?

5. What information does Imogene collect about her classmates that she then uses to blackmail them to get things she wants?

Short Essay Questions

1. The narrator begins the narrative of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by describing what event?

2. For what reason do the Herdman siblings believe they have found evidence proving Charlie's promises of food at church to be valid?

3. What simile does the narrator use to describe the way in which the Herdman children move through Woodrow Wilson School?

4. How does Mother at first feel about coordinating the Christmas pageant?

5. Describe one particular instance of the author's use of humor and examine its effect on the reader.

6. For what purpose does the author use the allusion to "a day of rest" (21) in Chapter Two?

7. What does Father say about the burning down of Fred Schneider's toolhouse?

8. What is the one virtue displayed by the Herdman children within the burned toolhouse incident?

9. What is the narrator's evidence for her claim that the "Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the the history of the world" (1)?

10. For what purpose does the author go out of her way to portray the Herdman children as unteachable?

(see the answer keys)

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