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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 did Leon live before his family moved to Texas?

2. Where does Brendan say he studied chemical engineering in Chapter 26?

3. What space movie does Cal reference in the beginning of Chapter 17?

4. To what cassette does Cal listen in Chapter 27?

5. What house does Cal say he got on the Hogwarts House quiz in Chapter 18?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the guest on the Shooting Stars' online content featured at the end of Chapter 23? What is the interview about?

2. What does Cal's mom say to him about fixing people or situations in Chapter 25?

3. What is revealed about the hiring of Cal's father on the Shooting Stars finale in Chapter 21?

4. Who is interviewed on Shooting Stars in the end of Chapter 20? How does the interview end?

5. What does Cal decide to do in order to reconcile with Deb in Chapter 22? Why does he change his mind?

6. How does Cal's father describe the political views of those against funding for the Orpheus project in Chapter 19?

7. How is Cal's fame described on the Shooting Stars finale in Chapter 21?

8. What does Cal do in Chapter 15 to "out" StarWatch?

9. What image is flashed on the screen during the rocket launch on Shooting Stars in Chapter 21? How does Cal react?

10. Why do Cal and his mother go to the Tucker house in Chapter 14?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the importance of setting in The Gravity of Us. Where does Cal live in the beginning of the novel? Where does he move? How are these settings compared? Why is setting important to the plot of this novel?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss three examples of irony in The Gravity of Us. What purpose does each example serve? Does the author point out irony directly? How does the author employ verbal, situational, and dramatic irony in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss pop-culture allusions and references in The Gravity of Us. What bands, musicians, celebrities, and artists are referenced in the novel? Why? What references are made to contemporary politicians and companies? What is their significance?

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