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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. Clinton Smith accepted a ride from a man driving what kind of vehicle?

2. In what year did Elwood move to New York City?

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

4. Chapter 12 states that in what year, a young inmate at Nickel "died of heart failure while locked in a sweatbox" (144)?

5. At the beginning of Chapter 8, Elwood "returned to the yard crew" (64) after a several-day stay in what location?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe the two different ways of "serving time" (144) outlined by the narrator in Chapter 12.

3. For what reason did Elwood become angry at Chickie Pete during their reunion?

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

5. The narrator begins Chapter 12 by stating that "There were four ways out of Nickel" (144). What were they?

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

7. What physical problem of Elwood's is described in Chapter 11?

8. At what conclusion did Elwood finally arrive when he contemplated the reason for his vicious beating in the White House?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the ways in which the themes of adaptability and resignation appear within Whitehead’s novel The Nickel Boys. What message is Whitehead sending about these two themes over the course of the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Whitehead’s messages about guilt and responsibility within The Nickel Boys. Focus especially on events such as Harriet’s untimely death one year after her grandson Elwood’s demise.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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