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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 does the narrator finally decide when she is trying to figure out why someone would write down every bad action taken by the Herdman siblings?
(a) She thinks that it must feel good to Mrs. Wendleken to see evidence of the Herdman siblings' evil-doing in black-and-white.
(b) She thinks that it must feel good to Alice to see evidence of the Herdman siblings' evil-doing in black-and-white.
(c) She thinks that it must feel good to Mother to see evidence of the Herdman siblings' evil-doing in black-and-white.
(d) She thinks that it must feel good to Gladys to see evidence of the Herdman siblings' evil-doing in black-and-white.

2. What is Mother's reply when she is asked what the Angel of the Lord is supposed to do?
(a) She says that the Angel of the Lord is lowered slowly from the ceiling.
(b) She says that the Angel of the Lord had warned the shepherds about Herod's treachery.
(c) She says that the Angel of the Lord had brought the good news to the shepherds.
(d) She says that the Angel of the Lord is there to reflect the lights with her sequined costume.

3. What does Alice do with the information she has about the Herdman siblings' involvement with the fire department being called to the church?
(a) She tells Reverend Hopkins.
(b) She tells Ralph.
(c) She tells her mother.
(d) She tells the narrator.

4. How much had the character who always played Joseph unsuccessfully offered another character to play the role of Joseph instead?
(a) $1.
(b) $10.
(c) $5.
(d) 50 cents.

5. What is NOT a role assigned to the older boys and girls without major parts in the pageant?
(a) Ushers.
(b) Members of the angel choir.
(c) Guests at the inn.
(d) Shepherds.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which character asks Mother if she thinks the church should call off the pageant?

2. What action eventually taken by a Herdman sibling is said by the narrator to be "the one great big sinful thing Alice" (66) had been hoping for?

3. What topic do the Herdman siblings research during their first visit to the library?

4. Miss Graebner tells Mother that she can now retire because she has heard everything. What has she heard?

5. Whose name does Mother NOT call when she is trying to make sure that no one else is interested in playing the role of Mary?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss a moment in the narrative when the narrator thinks that her friend Alice is behaving badly.

2. What does the library symbolize?

3. What event causes the narrator to consider what the world would be like if Jesus had not lived past infancy?

4. What kinds of transgressions do the Herdman siblings commit throughout the course of the pageant rehearsal period and how does the narrator know about these actions?

5. How is foreshadowing employed within the last two sentences of Chapter Six?

6. What evidence does the author provide for the conclusion that having the first meeting about the pageant after church is a poor decision?

7. Discuss the significance of Mrs. Armstrong's comment to Mother when she says, "And then I always remind them that there are no small parts, only small actors" (25).

8. What message is being sent about arrogance within Mother's exclamation when she shouts, "That woman! She must be surprised that the sun is still coming up every morning without her to supervise the sunrise" (45)?

9. What questions are raised in the narrator's mind about the Nativity story as a result of her interactions with the Herdmans?

10. For what reasons does the pageant not have a real baby to play Jesus?

(see the answer keys)

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