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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. Before the college students found the "secret graveyard" (3) how many bodies in total had they counted within the Nickel Academy's official cemetery?

2. How many generations of Elwood's family had worked at the Richmond Hotel over the years?

3. For how many nights was Elwood permitted to sleep in his own home between his sentencing and his departure for Nickel?

4. What term did Elwood borrow from the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. when he pinpointed the problem with the would-be thieves' actions?

5. Which character was NOT a part of the group of the three most fearsome boys at Nickel?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. What major discovery is described in the Prologue as having led to widespread media coverage focused on the Nickel Academy?

10. How many boys were incarcerated at Nickel at the time of Elwood's arrival and in what way was the campus divided into two?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,195 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample