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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 kissed JB in Sunday School, according to the narrator in "JB and I"?

2. What does JB throw to Josh in "He Probably"?

3. Where does the narrator say JB wants to attend college in "JB and I"?

4. Where does Josh describe going on his way home after practice in "Second-Person"?

5. How old does the narrator say he and his brother are almost in "JB and I"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Josh lie to his father in "35-18"?

2. Who is Josh Bell and what role does he play in "The Crossover"?

3. What is the meaning of the title to the poem "Second-Person"?

4. What is the rule stated in "Basketball Rule #5"? What is its significance?

5. What does Coach Hawkins have his team do in "At Practice"? Why?

6. What literary device stand out the most in the poem "Showoff"? What are examples?

7. What are some examples of stylistic choices made by the author in the poem "Dribbling"?

8. Why does Josh suggest his father write a book in "Conversation"?

9. How did Josh Bell get his nickname? What is the significance of Josh's nickname?

10. What conflict is described in "On the Way to the Game"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Josh's feelings about Alexis (Miss Sweet Tea) in the narrative. Why does Josh express jealousy over Alexis? What do you think Alexis represents symbolically in the story? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of nicknames in The Crossover. What is Josh's nickname and what significance does it have? What is Chuck's nickname and how did he obtain it? How do these nicknames reflect upon the characters in the story?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the motif of basketball in The Crossover. What correlations does the author make between basketball and life? How is this motif related to the themes of the verse novel?

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