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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 crime did Elwood privately remember Chickie Pete having committed regularly at Nickel after experiencing similar abuse himself?

2. The medical examiner linked the Nickel boy's heart failure that happened when he was "locked in a sweatbox" (144) with what cause of death?

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

4. Visitors from how many different states flocked to attend Nickel's Christmas Fair each year?

5. What was distinctive about Chickie Pete's clothing when adult Elwood ran into him after watching the New York City marathon?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What new opportunity did Elwood receive at Nickel due to Turner's recommendation?

6. What bad news did Harriet deliver to her grandson Elwood in Chapter 12 when she came for a visit after missing one due to illness?

7. What does the set of "Chipwick's British Classics" (84) symbolize within the novel?

8. What annual tradition existed at Nickel that involved one white inmate and one black inmate?

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

10. What happened to the money Elwood had saved up for college?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Discuss how and why Whitehead instills three different humanist messages into the narrative of The Nickel Boys.

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