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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 does Ivan do when Julia ignores him to draw Ruby?

2. How can you tell that an elephant has been in the refrigerator?

3. Where does Ivan hide his paintings?

4. What does Ivan decide to add to the painting he makes for Ruby?

5. According to Ivan, what is a good zoo?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the story of Jambo?

2. How does Ivan react to Ruby's first solo act in Mack's show?

3. How does Mack train Ruby to replace Stella?

4. How do the animals know that a new animal is arriving at the mall?

5. How do Ivan and his sister get their (original) names?

6. In the story, how are wild elephants like Ruby trained to perform tricks?

7. Why does Mack buy Ruby?

8. What is Ivan's plan for getting Ruby out of the mall?

9. What is the significance of the X's that Ivan draws on his painted jungle wall?

10. What does Stella mean when she says, "Humans can surprise you sometimes"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ivan is the narrator of the story. Why do you think the author chose to have him tell the story instead of writing it from a human’s perspective? What do we learn from Ivan’s point of view that we might not learn had the story been told from a human’s point of view?

Essay Topic 2

Why is Ivan’s art important to him? Describe how art affects Ivan’s life during his infancy, as a young gorilla living with Mack, as an “employee” of the Big Top Mall, and as an activist for animal rights. What is significant about the art that Ivan creates at the zoo?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the use of “boxes” in the story. What types of boxes exist in Ivan’s world? What are their purposes? At the end of the story, is Ivan truly free or is he just living in a nicer box?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,143 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample