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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. How often did Harriet visit Elwood at Nickel during his incarceration there?

2. In what year did the annual boxing championship fought between a black Nickel boy and a white Nickel boy begin?

3. Prior to having his escape plan foiled, Clinton Smith had been planning to join which member of his family as soon as possible?

4. What name did Elwood decide to bestow upon the moving company he had personally founded?

5. What criminal acts occurred in the location at Nickel known as "Lovers' Lane" (121)?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which staff member at Nickel did Elwood name as the man he would like to poison?

2. How did Elwood meet Denise?

3. What event caused Elwood to decide to put into motion his plan to "get rid of Nickel" (157)?

4. How did Elwood discover that Griff had been instructed by Superintendent Spencer to throw the boxing match?

5. At what decision did Elwood arrive in relation to a date of release in Chapter 8?

6. Who was Chickie Pete and for what purpose does Whitehead devise his character?

7. What happened at the first four stops Harper made during Elwood's first day on the Community Service team with Turner?

8. What happened on Christmas Day that caused the Nickel boys to feel "like boys from nice houses in nice neighborhoods" (116)?

9. In what way does Whitehead employ foreshadowing in relation to the story about the escapee named Clayton Smith?

10. What quality did Harper name as the most important one for a Community Service work detail member to possess?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the role of Elwood's grandmother Harriet within The Nickel Boys. How does Whitehead use Harriet's role to highlight themes included within the overall narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Read a lengthy interview with Colson Whitehead. Write an essay explaining the connection between several of Whitehead’s answers and a major theme presented within the text of The Nickel Boys.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the instances of irony within the narrative of The Nickel Boys and analyze Whitehead’s purpose for including each instance you discuss.

(see the answer keys)

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