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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 vision does Nana have when she is attuned to the signals of a Greater Intellect?

2. For what purpose does Nana first ask Sebastian to purchase paint in town?

3. What does Sebastian notice in a tree outside Jared's house the first time he visits him?

4. What lie does Sebastian tell Nana when he returns from his first visit to the Whitcombs' house?

5. What reason does Nana cite for the need to get more money coming into the household?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Janice's invitation to stay for lunch serve as a major turning point in Sebastian's life?

2. What is the significance of Sebastian's secret password for the computer in the dome?

3. What comment from Sebastian causes the rest of the car ride home from youth group to be spent in uncomfortable silence?

4. What aspect of the distraction Jared decides to provide while Sebastian steals the bass is so cruel to Janice and why?

5. What element of the pictures he finds of Sid Vicious does Sebastian find inspirational and encouraging?

6. How do Nana's first comments to Sebastian in the hospital foreshadow coming events?

7. What comments of Sebastian's upon his first visit to Jared's house infuriate Jared and cause him to lash out at Sebastian?

8. What is the significance of Sebastian's first experience in a record store?

9. What does Nana say she discovers during a vision she has while Jared has been secretly visiting Jared for the first time?

10. What character traits of Jared's are displayed during the scene of Nana's stroke before the ambulance arrives?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the significance of the novel's inclusion of the record store as a brief, yet meaningful and symbolic setting.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the ways in which the philosophies of Buckminster Fuller have had a positive effect on Sebastian's character and behaviors. What is the author's purpose in pointing out the positive aspects of Buckminster Fuller's restrictive philosophies?

Essay Topic 3

What is the function of language within the novel and how does the author use differences in diction, word choice, and formality levels within the dialogue of the various characters in order to support a number of the novel's underlying themes?

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