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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 the narrator say he would hang himself from?

2. How does Bert say he earned his tuppence?

3. What is the narrator's friend watching at the pictures?

4. What kind of stains does Bert have on his mac?

5. What is Mrs. Scaredale crackers about?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do Lennox's workmates tease him?

2. Why is the man's suicide attempt unsuccessful?

3. What do Bert and Colin do on the way home?

4. Why is Lennox so upset at the beginning of this story?

5. How does Jim's mother react to him telling her he is getting married?

6. What does the narrator think has lead to Jim's disgrace?

7. Why does the man want to kill himself?

8. How does Bert ride the Noah's Ark for free?

9. Why does the policeman arrest the man?

10. What is Bert's plan to cheat at the penny game?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is life like in Borstal for Smith? How does Borstal try to change Smith and why do they fail? How has youth prison changed since the story was written?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the author's writing style. How would you describe the author's prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? What meaning does the author's style give to the book?

Essay Topic 3

What was Lennox marriage like in the beginning and how and why did it fall apart? What does Fred marriage symbolize in this same book?

(see the answer keys)

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