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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. Where was James' mother supposed to meet James after kindergarten?

2. What did Hunter die of?

3. What type of customers does Ruth's father overcharge?

4. What does Sam do after school?

5. What do the muggers spill on the sidewalk?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ruth say about her parents' marriage in Chapter 3?

2. How does James react to Hunter's death?

3. What happens to James when his mother forgets to pick him up from kindergarten?

4. Describe Sam's life.

5. How did Ruth and her family live in America when they first arrived?

6. Describe what happens when Ruth asks James to take the milk back to the shop.

7. How does Ruth's family react to her pregnancy?

8. How does Ruth respond when James asks what color God is?

9. How does Ruth's life take a turn for the worse when the family moves to Virginia?

10. Describe Ruth's parents.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss with the students first person point of view. Why do the students think first person point of view is not necessarily reliable? What moments in the book do the students think are not so reliable and why? With the students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the first person.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Ruth treat her past with such disregard? How has Ruth's view of the past affected James and his siblings? How has Ruth harmed herself by disregarding her past?

Essay Topic 3

Why do the students think it is important for James to find out about his mother's past? How has his mother hiding her past affected him?

(see the answer keys)

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