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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 the second reason Mr. Shaibel gives for why he will not play chess with Beth?

2. About what does Mrs. Deardorff rave to the strangers Beth is introduce to in Chapter 3?

3. How does Jolene gain access to green pills?

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

5. Who is the state champion?

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

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

4. How does Beth keep Mrs. Wheatley from knowing she has stolen money from her?

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

6. What do both Mr. Shaibel and Mr. Ganz think of Beth? Why?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The book ends with Beth asking an old man to play chess with her at a park. How does this reflect the answer that she and the other young prodigy gave when asked what they would do after chess? How does this ending also bring the story back around to Beth‘s chess playing beginning?

Essay Topic 2

Beth gets involved with several men. Describe her relationships with them. What similarities are there? How does the man’s intelligence and ability or inability to play chess influence her feelings for them? How do her physical relationships compare to other relationships she has?

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)

This section contains 821 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample