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. The writer of the letter to Miss Mason that arrives on the day of the contest states that there will be "plenty of" (45) what in the family's next community?

2. Maddie's visions of defending Wanda are said to be ineffective for what reason?

3. Which members of the class in Room 13 are tasked with submitting designs for motorboats?

4. Some people in town claim that old man Svenson had once killed a man with what weapon?

5. The narrator states at the end of the chapter entitled "The Contest" that "by the time" what kind of lesson begins, Maddie has "forgotten all about" (38) Wanda?

Short Essay Questions

1. What message is being sent about courage in the chapter entitled "The Contest"?

2. What does Maddie do right after she makes a promise to herself at the end of the chapter called "Up on Boggins Heights" and why is this action significant?

3. What connection does Maddie draw between Wanda's former house and Wanda's one blue dress?

4. What reasons does Wanda's father provide for relocating his family to the "big city" (45)?

5. What message is Estes sending about the nature of popularity within the chapter entitled "The Contest"?

6. In an effort to absolve herself of any guilt in the matter, what does Peggy claim not to have done to Wanda?

7. The children in Wanda's class are said to never think about Wanda at all except in cases when she takes part in what activity?

8. How does Maddie respond to Peggy's statement about Wanda's level of intelligence and what is the significance of her response?

9. In what month does the chapter entitled "Up on Boggins Heights" take place and what is the weather like?

10. What excuse does Peggy provide for the bad behavior to which she does admit and how does it shed further light on her character traits?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trace the characterization arc of Maddie’s character throughout The Hundred Dresses. Discuss whether Maddie is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 2

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Estes’s story The Hundred Dresses. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the story.

Essay Topic 3

What is Estes's message regarding a particular shift in worldview that needs to occur for a particular group of people and why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,339 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample