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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 does Bill Bob spend his time at dinner as told by Gus in "Voiding My Rheum"?

2. How did the three third graders get sick in "Being Educated and Gittin' Brung UP"?

3. What allusion does Gus make to his reading of The Compleat Angler as many times as he did?

4. What book does Gus consider the most explosive in existence?

5. What does Gus decide about God by writing in his notebook?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gus see as the problem with Ma's two emotions that Gus describes in full at the end of the chapter "Being Educated & Gittin' Brung Up"?

2. What catches Gus completely off guard in his ideal setting and lifestyle?

3. How does Gus react during the argument at dinner when he realizes that his parents only care about their own argument and not the story he is telling?

4. How do Ma and Henning attempt to make the cabin livable for Gus?

5. How does Gus plan his life to maximize his fishing time?

6. In what ways has Gus changed since finding Abe?

7. What happens to Gus emotionally in the first few months alone in the cabin?

8. How does Gus describe his parents' relationship?

9. In what ways does Ma use her shotgun and what does this say about her and the way she raises her children?

10. Is the argument in "Voiding My Rheum" healing or destructive? Defend your answer.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What significance does the singing mouse play to the theme of hope?

Essay Topic 2

Why does Gus become so depressed after moving to the cabin? How does the depression affect him and how does he decide to pull himself out of the depression?

Essay Topic 3

If Gus is the protagonist, who or what is the antagonist? Explain how Gus is the protagonist and why the antagonist is the antagonist.

(see the answer keys)

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