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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. Mrs. Armstrong tells Mother that she must choose the person who plays Mary very carefully because of what reason?
(a) Because Mary does not speak and only uses facial expressions.
(b) Because Mary has the greatest number of lines.
(c) Because Mary was the mother of Jesus.
(d) Because Mary has the most elaborate costume.

2. In what location does Imogene ask the narrator how to check out a book from the library?
(a) The classroom.
(b) The playground.
(c) The gym.
(d) The library.

3. What do the Herdman siblings do once the fire department arrives at the church?
(a) They throw spitballs at the evacuees.
(b) They leave.
(c) They lie down in the street.
(d) They ask to help fight the fire.

4. With what role assignment does Mrs. Armstrong say she always begins the pageant preparations?
(a) Joseph.
(b) The Angel of the Lord.
(c) Mary.
(d) The shepherds.

5. Miss Graebner tells Mother that she can now retire because she has heard everything. What has she heard?
(a) Gladys asking to read about the Wise Men.
(b) Ralph asking to read about Herod.
(c) Ollie asking to read about Bethlehem.
(d) Imogene asking to read about Jesus.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the pageant incarnation described at the center of the narrative, who plays the role of the Angel of the Lord?

2. In the pageant incarnation described at the center of the narrative, who plays the role of Mary?

3. What element does the narrator name as keeping people from getting into the library basement undetected?

4. What method does Imogene tell Mother she can use to get a real baby to play Jesus?

5. What evidence is there for the conclusion that Mother had been a good choice to run a pageant full of Herdmans?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Discuss the significance of Mother's comment when she states to Father, "No, their chief instinct was to get Mary and the baby out of the barn. But even so, it was Herod they wanted to do away with, and Mary or Joseph. They picked out the right villain -- that must mean something" (50).

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

5. 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).

6. 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?

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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