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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 is NOT a punishment given to Beth for stealing the pills?

2. Where does Beth go when she leaves chapel?

3. How does one get a rating in chess?

4. How many chess boards can Beth visualize playing at once?

5. As Beth packs, she searched frantically for the one item that mattered the most. What is that item?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How do the majority of the players react to Beth’s chess skills at her first tournament?

3. Why does Beth steal money from Mrs. Wheatley?

4. What does Beth use to fall asleep at night? Why?

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

6. What are all the children given at the orphanage in little paper cups? Why? How does Beth feel about this?

7. How is Beth able to get away for a length of time to play chess?

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

9. Why does Beth push past her fear of Mr. Shaibel?

10. How does Beth get the job of cleaning the erasers after arithmetic class?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Beth has her first taste of beer in Chapter 6 and compares the sensation of being drunk to taking the tranquilizer pills. What does this need for drugs say about Beth? How does this reflect an addictive personality? What other aspects of her life also show she has an addictive personality?

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 determination regarding chess ebbs and flows throughout the book. What are two examples of when it ebbs and two examples when it flows? What events surround this increase or decrease in seriousness and competitiveness? How does this inconsistency affect Beth and her abilities at playing chess?

(see the answer keys)

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