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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. Who is the best volleyball player?

2. What does Beth think the chess game is the first time she ever sees it?

3. When Beth steals green pills from the pharmacy, how many does she take?

4. To whom is Beth introduced in Chapter 3?

5. Every Tuesday, Miss Graham sends Beth down to the basement to do what?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does the reader know that Beth stole pills from Mrs. Wheatley?

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. How does Beth describe the Wheatleys?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 8, when Beth plays the young prodigy and asks him what he will do once he is world champion. How will he spend the rest of his life? He looks at her puzzled. How would Beth have responded to this question if she had been asked when she was young? Why might Beth have asked this question? Might she also be asking herself this question? How does the struggle between Beth’s commitment to chess and life outside of chess show itself throughout the book?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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