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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. In the non-italicized section of Chapter 3, who does Oiler say came calling on him?

2. In the non-italicized section of Chapter 1, who supposedly found the downed plane in the first place?

3. In the non-italicized section of Chapter 3, where does Oiler's sister live?

4. In the non-italicized section of Chapter 4, what does Bobby's paternal grandfather do as a profession?

5. In the Italicized section of the Chapter 1, what chemical compound is the first part of the Kid's full name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Bobby that ends his time racing cars?

2. What part does Bobby's father play in World War II?

3. How does the Kid talk? What is the reader's impression of the Kid from the ways he talks and the language that he uses.

4. At the beginning of Chapter 4, what appears in the night at the girl's window that makes her whisper Bobby's name?

5. How does the Kid feel about almost all the acts that he brings up? How does he generally end them that gives a clue as to how he feels?

6. Of the Kid's cohorts, who is the only one that the girl cares about? Why does the kid not summon her for the girl?

7. What is Oiler's attitude about his time in Vietnam?

8. What is peculiar about this downed plane?

9. Why is the Kid called the Thalidomide Kid?

10. What does Oiler say that he regrets the most about his time in Vietnam?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the sensation that you have when you read the passages between the Kid and Alicia. How do they compare to the passages that focus on Bobby? What are the differences? Are there similarities or parallels?

Essay Topic 2

Why does the author include a lengthy conversation about who killed John F. Kennedy? What is your experience of reading this section? How is this lengthy conversation a different experience than the one about math and physics? What are you able to grasp from a careful reading of this conversation? How does this conversation connect to the idea of reality compared to the perception of reality? Or the idea that perception shapes reality?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the Thalidomide Kid. Write about him as if you are explaining him and his character to someone who has not read the book. What are the Kid's important aspects? What are the important things to know about the Kid in order to understand his essence as it relates to the book?

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