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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. How is Beth able to get out of chapel in order to play chess?

2. What do the children who have been at the orphanage for a long time call themselves?

3. How does Beth feel when she hears the words “mother” and “dead"?

4. What does Mr. Ganz request the school to allow?

5. Why does Beth tell Jolene she is sorry?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Beth attempt to steal pills from the pharmacy?

2. How does Beth‘s life at the home improve at the end of Chapter 2?

3. How was Beth able to beat all of Mr. Ganz’s chess students?

4. What is the punishment for cursing? How does Beth know that what Ralph shouts from the Boys’ Ward is probably a bad word?

5. Where is Beth placed, initially, at her first chess tournament? Why?

6. What are two things that Beth realizes she has figured out in the first chapter?

7. What does Beth think and do when a nice couple with an accent comes in to adopt a child?

8. How does Beth describe the Wheatleys?

9. How does the reader first learn about Beth’s appearance? How does she describe herself?

10. What are three things that Beth learns from taking part in her first chess tournament?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Addiction is a main idea in this book. How does the author first address it? How is Beth affected by her addictions? How does this reflect real, modern life?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 12, Beth quickly spirals down into alcohol abuse. What leads to this? How is this foreshadowed? What are the repercussions of her actions? How does she save herself and her career from alcoholism? What does this say about her?

Essay Topic 3

Beth’s risk-taking increases as the story develops. What are the pros and cons of Beth being a risk-taker? What is the connection between her risk-taking and self-worth? How is her risky behavior related to her addictions?

(see the answer keys)

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