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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 causes Stella's death?

2. Where was Ruby born?

3. How did Ruby's parents die?

4. Where do the men place Stella's body after she dies?

5. What does Ruby do when Mack strikes her with the claw-stick?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Ivan draw?

3. How did Mack treat Ivan when the gorilla was young?

4. Why does George place his job in danger in order to help Ivan?

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

6. How does Ivan's appearances at the mall as a young gorilla compare to his experiences at the mall as an adult gorilla?

7. How does Ruby's curious and questioning nature affect Ivan?

8. How does Ivan console Ruby after Stella's death?

9. What is the story of Jambo?

10. How does Ruby's presence affect Stella?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does Ivan learn from watching television? What types of shows does Ivan watch and what does he learn from each type of show? How does watching the television in the mall make Ivan feel? How is the television in the zoo different from the television in the mall?

Essay Topic 2

Ivan envies Julia’s ability to draw things that “aren’t real”. Why do you think Ivan only draws things he can see? What is the importance of imagination in his decision to paint the sign to free Ruby? How does Ivan learn to use his imagination while he paints Ruby’s sign?

Essay Topic 3

What prompts George to risk his job in order to post Ivan’s art on the billboard? Which character or characters help him make that decision and how do they convince him to risk his job for an animal? What do George’s actions tell you about his personality?

(see the answer keys)

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