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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. Who suggests Jack find a job?

2. How old is Jack when men show up at his house with a delivery?

3. Who wishes to change genders?

4. Why is Jack told to stop his activity in the beginning of Chapter 4?

5. Who do we learn is infatuated with Julie in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Julie and Jack do with sand and how long does it take?

2. What do Jack's parents argue about in Chapter 1? What does his mother demand and what is his father's reaction?

3. Where does the family celebrate Jack's birthday and why?

4. Why is Tom tired of being a boy?

5. How does Jack's acne problem affect him socially?

6. Describe the social life of Jack's family.

7. What does Julie tell Jack she imagines will happen between Father and Tom as Father's health declines?

8. Why did Jack fake being sick when he was 8 and what happened when he got home?

9. How does Jack release tension in the garden at the beginning of Chapter 4? Why does he stop?

10. What happens when Julie covers Mother's body with a sheet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the difference between tone and mood in literature? How are they similar? How are both communicated to a reader?

Essay Topic 2

Identify and discuss three points of foreshadowing from the novel. Did the author use foreshadowing effectively? Why or why not? Define foreshadowing in your essay as well. What role does foreshadowing play in literature?

Essay Topic 3

A protagonist has heroic qualities and an antagonist has villain qualities. Discuss the protagonist in The Cement Garden. Discuss the antagonist in the story as well.

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