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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. Which two classes did Elwood miss on his very first day of educational instruction at Nickel?

2. Upon Elwood's arrival, Nickel housed "over" (49) how many inmates?

3. Boys punished within the White House were ordered to lie down on a blood-stained mattress and to hold onto what object?

4. Former Nickel Boys are said in the Prologue to have organized support groups in "recent years" (5) in order to reassemble their memories into "confirmation of a shared" (5) what?

5. The national press picked up the story about the secret cemetery at Nickel Academy after a newspaper from what city published a story about it first?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How did Elwood turn the nasty trick played by the Richmond Hotel staff into a boon?

3. Which two momentous events happened on Elwood's second day at Nickel, as announced at the start of Chapter 5?

4. Who was Mr. Hill?

5. What disappointing news did Blakely reveal to Elwood about educational opportunities at Nickel?

6. In what way does the theme of collectivism arise within the Prologue of The Nickel Boys?

7. In what way does Whitehead employ foreshadowing about Superintendent Spencer's character?

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

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

10. How does Whitehead use personification to depict the way that Harriet tried not to get her hopes up about the progress the black community might make in the wake of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Whitehead’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of The Nickel Boys.

Essay Topic 2

Could The Nickel Boys be classified as a coming-of-age story? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

How do the themes of deception and secrecy function within The Nickel Boys and what is Whitehead’s message regarding these themes?

(see the answer keys)

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