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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 tries to send Paul on a trip after Mother's birthday?

2. What time of day does Paul die?

3. What big race is coming up after Mother's birthday?

4. Who does Mother contact while at the party?

5. Where is Paul told to take a trip to after Mother's birthday?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens at the Derby?

2. What keeps Mother at the party when she wants to leave?

3. What does Mother do when she gets her birthday present?

4. Why does Paul think he was able to predict all the horse winners?

5. What does Mother say caused her family a lot of grief when she was younger?

6. What does Paul get as a result of his mother's birthday present?

7. What does Mother do when she begins getting worried about Paul?

8. What causes Mother to become more connected to Paul?

9. How does the author describe Paul as he discovers the name of the winning Derby horse?

10. Why isn't Paul personally present at the Derby?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role did money play in this short story, and do you agree with the message the author was trying to send through this inclusion of the theme of money?

Essay Topic 2

Where do you think Paul got his ability to predict races? Please support your ideas with excerpts from the text.

Essay Topic 3

How did Mother treat her children, and what effect did this have on their behavior throughout the book?

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