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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 was Elwood's answer when he was later asked "how many licks he got" (68) at the White House?

2. The floor of the White House carried the stench of what substance "that had soaked into the concrete" (67)?

3. In what month did Elwood arrive at Nickel?

4. The end of the Prologue introduces Elwood the Nickel Boy in what way?

5. What was the name of Elwood's house father at Nickel?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. For what purpose does Whitehead allude to Life magazine within Chapter 2?

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

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

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

7. Who was Mr. Hill?

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

9. In what way was Elwood's family history intertwined with the Richmond Hotel in Tallahassee?

10. In what way did the grounds of Nickel surprise Elwood upon his arrival and what is this detail's significance?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Whitehead's purpose for juxtaposing at least two different locations in a particular way within the text of The Nickel Boys. Examples could include locations such as the white side of the Nickel campus versus the black side of the Nickel campus or Marvin Griggs Technical College versus Nickel's ancient schoolhouse.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Whitehead's treatment of truth, lies, and hypocrisy within the text of The Nickel Boys.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Whitehead's choice to tell the story of The Nickel Boys using a third person omniscient narrator. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what are Whitehead’s intended effects on the reader?

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