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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. Which of the Wise Men does Leroy play in the pageant?
(a) Abednigo.
(b) Melchior.
(c) Balthazar.
(d) Caspar.

2. What is NOT an act included on the pad of paper that lists the bad actions of the Herdman siblings during rehearsals?
(a) They steal crayons from the Sunday School cupboards.
(b) They steal Bibles.
(c) They drink communion wine.
(d) They smoke cigars in the bathroom.

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

4. When Father asks his family what had "finally happened to Herod" (50), what do they decide is the answer?
(a) They do not know.
(b) Herod had lived a long and happy life.
(c) Herod had been deposed and beheaded.
(d) Herod had died of pneumonia.

5. In the pageant incarnation described at the center of the narrative, who plays the role of Mary?
(a) Alice.
(b) The narrator.
(c) Imogene.
(d) Gladys.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Mrs. McCarthy calls Mother, what does she suggest the Herdmans be allowed to do in lieu of taking roles within the pageant?

2. Which character voices the concern that no one may come to see the pageant?

3. What is NOT a role assigned to the older boys and girls without major parts in the pageant?

4. 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?

5. On what day of the week does Mother say the pageant rehearsals will be?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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)?

2. Discuss how the theme of appearance versus reality appears in Chapter Five.

3. In what way does Reverend Hopkins redirect his congregation when he notices their treatment of the Herdman siblings?

4. In what ways does the author depict Father as a funny man?

5. 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?

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

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

9. What behaviors of the Herdman siblings indicate their keen interest in the subject of the Christmas story?

10. What connections does the author draw between the Herdmans and the Holy Family?

(see the answer keys)

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