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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 a student compare O.J. Simpson's trial to?

2. What good came out of Zlata's bad situation?

3. Why is Gruwell not allowed to teach Sharaud and his classmates the following year?

4. In Diary One, how long does the student give Gruwell before she quits?

5. Why can't a student go to a movie with her best friend?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Zlata begin writing a diary and how did her diary evolve?

2. Describe what happens when a student is in a liquor store buying candy?

3. Why does one student feel like Cinderella after a dinner at the Century City Marriott?

4. In Diary Two, why does a student wonder why he is in Gruwell's English class?

5. Because of the Read-a-Thon for Tolerance, why is Zlata invited to speak to the class?

6. Why is the word 'murder' a shadow hovering over a student's life the fall of 1995?

7. Why is one student out of school for a week or two before beginning the sophomore year?

8. Why does Zlata highly respect and admire Gruwell?

9. What do the students do when they play the peanut game?

10. Why does a student decide 'odd' is not a three-letter word, but a seven-letter word?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the foreword to the book, Zlata mentions that good comes out of something bad. Several students, also mention in their diary entries how something bad turns into something positive. Write about what Zlata means that good comes from bad. What examples does Zlata give that shows good comes from bad circumstances? What do students say about difficult circumstances providing positive results? Provide examples from the book when something seems negative, but leads to positive results.

Essay Topic 2

Violence is an everyday occurrence for the Freedom Writers in their homes and neighborhoods. Write about the violence they see everyday. How does this violence affect the students? How does this violence affect their families or friends? How does writing the diaries help the students learn to deal with the violence in their lives? Does Gruwell help the students to break this cycle of violence?

Essay Topic 3

The fall semester of 1996, a student says that America is at war. Is America at war? Why or why not? What examples are provided in the book? Why do students at Wilson High School say that America is at war? Who are the combatants if America is at war?

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