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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Brother picks Doodle up, trying to teach him to walk, and Doodle falls to the ground, what does Doodle say?
(a) "I told you so."
(b) "I can do it."
(c) "Don't hurt me, Brother."
(d) "I'll tell Mama."

2. What draws the family's attention to the ibis?
(a) A flash of red.
(b) The loud reaction of their chickens.
(c) The sound of its wings.
(d) A croaking noise.

3. In the description of the garden "ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox" (1), what does "rank" mean is true about the ironweeds?
(a) They are in orderly rows in between the phlox.
(b) They are taller than the phlox.
(c) They are more important than the phlox.
(d) They are everywhere and possibly also smell bad.

4. What does the reader learn about Doodle from his story about Peter?
(a) Doodle has a vivid imagination.
(b) Doodle is much smarter than Brother.
(c) Doodle is frightened of going to school.
(d) Doodle secretly hates Brother.

5. Who gives Doodle his nickname?
(a) Mama.
(b) Daddy.
(c) Aunt Nicey.
(d) Brother.

6. At first, Daddy is upset by the hurricane and looks defeated. What does he do that makes Brother and Doodle think that things will be all right?
(a) Says a prayer and tells them God will take care of them.
(b) Scoops Doodle up and dances with him in the rain.
(c) Raises his fist and curses the weather and the Republican party.
(d) Jumps into a puddle in the field and pretends to swim.

7. Why, at the end of summer, does Brother start to push Doodle so hard in his "training" efforts?
(a) School is coming and Doodle does not yet have the physical skills to keep up with other boys.
(b) Harvest season is coming and Brother wants Doodle to be strong enough to help this year.
(c) Brother knows that when school starts, Doodle is likely to be too busy to keep training.
(d) Brother knows that when winter comes, Doodle is likely to be too ill to keep training.

8. The phrase, "[T]he oriole nest in the elm was untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle" (1) is an example of which two literary techniques?
(a) Imagery and metaphor.
(b) Metaphor and personification.
(c) Simile and foreshadowing.
(d) Foreshadowing and personification.

9. Where is the ibis perched?
(a) In the bleeding tree.
(b) In the loft of the barn.
(c) On the roof of the house.
(d) On the grindstone.

10. What literary techniques are shown in the phrase, "[I]t lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers" (9)?
(a) Metaphor, allusion, and symbolism.
(b) Symbolism, flashback, and euphemism.
(c) Imagery, foreshadowing, and simile.
(d) Imagery, metaphor, and allegory.

11. When the family sees Doodle struggling to bury the ibis, what is their response?
(a) Daddy calls to Doodle to stop and come inside.
(b) They feel sad.
(c) They laugh at him.
(d) Mama sends Brother out to help him.

12. When Brother asks "What are the words that can solder cracked pride?" (11), what is he comparing words to?
(a) The paste that holds bricks together.
(b) A salesperson in a store.
(c) A person in the army.
(d) The metal used in welding.

13. What does Mama mean when she tells Brother that Doodle might not be "all there" (2)?
(a) Doodle might have a mental illness.
(b) Doodle might be intellectually disabled.
(c) Doodle might be missing a limb.
(d) Doodle might have to go live in a hospital.

14. On page 8, when Brother warns Doodle that he will be different from the other boys at school, what is Doodle's reply?
(a) "Everyone is different, somehow."
(b) "I won't go to school, then."
(c) "Does it make any difference?"
(d) "I will still have you."

15. Who does Doodle suggest that Brother can marry?
(a) Their mother.
(b) Their neighbor.
(c) Their aunt.
(d) Their father.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the place name "Horsehead Landing," what does the word "landing" mean?

2. When Brother says that the smell of the graveyard flowers is coming through their windows and "speaking softy the names of our dead" (1), this is an example of which literary technique?

3. When, on page 8, Brother says that they kept working with "doggedness," what does he mean?

4. What explanation does Daddy offer for the ibis's behavior?

5. Why does Mama make Brother return to the table when he is trying to get outside to see the ibis?

(see the answer keys)

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