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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. What does Mother do after Goolrick goes to college?

2. What did Goolrick's grandfather do to earn a medal?

3. What did Goolrick hope his new object would provide for him?

4. What did Mrs. Lackman bring for the young man the following day?

5. What did the children eat with the newly made butter?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Explain the title of this chapter, "Such Charming Hands."

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

5. Describe why Goolrick was compelled to masturbate, in terms of how it made him feel and how it allowed him to escape.

6. Explain how Goolrick and his siblings coerce their mother into buying things, and how they pay for it.

7. Explain what happened to Goolrick when he was four years old.

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

9. Describe what happened when Goolrick's brother refused to eat when they were children.

10. Describe Mrs. Lackman's son.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the major themes in the novel, and discuss it. Some examples of themes are child abuse, alcoholism, depression, and the lifestyle of the 1950s and 1960s. Include how Goolrick approached the theme, its purpose in the novel, how it was conveyed to the reader, and how the people in the book reacted to the scenarios this theme presented.

Essay Topic 2

Goolrick's mother clearly knew her husband had sexually molested their son at the age of four. Discuss her reaction. What did she do? Why do you think she acted this way? How did she behave in the days following the event? How did her inner fear poison her feelings for Goolrick? What should she have done? Why do you think she didn't?

Essay Topic 3

Choose one of the following characters who was aware of the molestation of Goolrick and discuss, in detail, how the character knew, how they reacted, what they should have done, and possible reasons for their behaviors. This examination is to be in depth. Use information gleaned not only from "Such Charming Hands" but from the explanations in the rest of the novel of the person's everyday characteristics.

-Father

-Mother

-Grandmother

-Goolrick

(see the answer keys)

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