View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did George accuse Goolrick of saying?

2. How did the family give others Christmas presents?

3. What does mother threaten to do?

4. Why was town an exciting place?

5. For which holidays were pageants held?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain Mrs. Lackman's process for bathroom breaks, and why it doesn't work with the children.

2. Describe the creek and explain why it is "violently sexy".

3. Explain the confrontation between Goolrick and his mother in the first grade.

4. Explain what happened when Goolrick was a boy, when he was invited to a sleep over at the McClouds.

5. What does Goolrick mean when he says he has spent his life looking for the thing that will make him into whom he wants to be?

6. Explain what happens when Goolrick tells his mother about the blood when he goes to the bathroom.

7. What does Goolrick mean by "how did they thrive so long, and then fail" at the end of this chapter?

8. Summarize Goolrick's experiences during kindergarten and first grade.

9. Describe Goolrick's reply to George's threat.

10. Explain Goolrick's story of his "real" parents.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the following chapters / sections of the novel, and analyze it, in depth. What was it included in the book? What was the point of the section? What does the section discuss? How is this important to the overall themes presented in the novel?

- Aunt Dodo

- The volleyball match at the hospital

- The Cowboy Sandwich

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Goolrick's experiences with female lovers to his experiences with male lovers. Be sure to include not only the primary lovers, but also those obscure lovers Goolrick mentions throughout the novel, such as the girl next door and the boy who practiced sex on him. How did he feel about his male lovers? His female lovers? What do you think caused these differences? Do you think Goolrick is homosexual, bisexual, or merely a sexual deviant as a result of his experiences?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the school system Goolrick participated in as a kindergarten and first grade student. Be sure to include information about the teacher, the classrooms, learning environments, social environments, any special events, and the impact those issues had on Goolrick and possibly the other children.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,139 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample