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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. At what time of day does Mrs. Armstrong always call the narrator's mother to discuss the pageant?

2. After completing research at the library, in what way do the Herdmans want to rewrite the pageant?

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

4. How does Mother feel about Mrs. Armstrong's announcement that she does not know how the pageant will turn out?

5. In what location does Imogene ask the narrator how to check out a book from the library?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss how Mother's character is depicted as having unending supplies of patience and compassion.

2. 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?

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

4. 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).

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

6. What does the library symbolize?

7. How does the narrator portray her friend Alice's personification of Mrs. Armstrong's saying, "There are no parts, only small actors" (21)?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trace the characterization arc of the narrator’s character throughout the novel. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 2

How is the topic of religion treated within Barbara Robinson’s novel The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and how does its treatment relate to the book's depicted messages?

Essay Topic 3

Trace the characterization arc of Imogene's character throughout the novel. Discuss whether she is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

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