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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The end of the Prologue introduces Elwood the Nickel Boy in what way?
(a) He liked to be called Elwood Curtis.
(b) His name was Elwood Curtis.
(c) He was called Elwood Curtis.
(d) He went by the name of Elwood Curtis.

2. Which character was NOT a part of the group of the three most fearsome boys at Nickel?
(a) Desmond.
(b) Lonnie.
(c) Griff.
(d) Black Mike.

3. In what year did a group of Nickel's young inmates die in a dormitory fire?
(a) 1954.
(b) 1921.
(c) 1998.
(d) 1949.

4. Who presented Elwood with a recording called "Martin Luther King at Zion Hill" (11)?
(a) Mr. Hill.
(b) Mr. Marconi.
(c) Evelyn.
(d) Harriet.

5. Elwood was shocked to find that "most of the Nickel boys couldn't" (59) take what action?
(a) Swim.
(b) Sit down.
(c) Read.
(d) Drive.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what part of Elwood's body did he receive a punch from Black Mike at the scene of Elwood's intervention in the middle of a fight?

2. Within what room at Nickel did Elwood intervene in a fight, earning him a trip to the White House?

3. In what month did Elwood arrive at Nickel?

4. Which members of the Richmond Hotel staff played a trick on 12-year-old Elwood using a set of encyclopedias?

5. How many afternoons did Elwood spend at the Richmond Hotel after the trick was played on him with the use of encyclopedias?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who or what was Black Beauty within the twisted world of Nickel?

2. In what way does Whitehead intertwine the motif of dreams with the theme of escape within Chapter 7?

3. What does the industrial fan within Chapter 6 symbolize and with what theme does Whitehead connect the fan?

4. Who was Elwood and what event prompted him to need to return to Nickel?

5. Describe Elwood's family, as it is presented in Chapters 1 through 3.

6. What was ironic about Harriet's punishment of Elwood upon learning that he had participated in a protest?

7. What Christmas present did Elwood receive in 1962 that the narrator described as "the best gift of his life" (11)?

8. What happened to prevent Elwood from attending his first class at Marvin Griggs Technical?

9. For what reason was Elwood unable to get a full night's sleep the day of his arrival at Nickel?

10. For what purpose does Whitehead allude to The Andy Griffith Show in Chapter 7?

(see the answer keys)

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