View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Doodle has an active mind and talks a lot. What is his family's reaction to this?
(a) They make fun of him.
(b) They ignore him.
(c) They are jealous of him.
(d) They suggest that he might become a writer.

2. What do Doodle and Brother leave to do after lunch?
(a) Go rowing at Horsehead Landing.
(b) Box at Old Woman Swamp.
(c) Search to see if they can find the ibis's mate.
(d) Climb vines at Old Woman Swamp.

3. Just before they notice the ibis, what does Doodle contradict Brother about?
(a) He says that he will be ready to help harvest the cotton.
(b) He says that the other boys in school will not care if he is different.
(c) He says that he heard a rain-frog.
(d) He says that they are done with his physical training.

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

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

6. After the incident where Brother makes Doodle touch the casket, what does Doodle cry out over and over?
(a) "Don't leave me."
(b) "Why?"
(c) "Am I going to die?"
(d) "I hate you."

7. 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) Foreshadowing and personification.
(b) Imagery and metaphor.
(c) Metaphor and personification.
(d) Simile and foreshadowing.

8. When Brother comments that "Hope no longer hid in the dark palmetto thicket but perched like a cardinal in the lacy toothbrush tree, brilliantly visible" (3), what two literary techniques are being used?
(a) Hyperbole and sarcasm.
(b) Irony and understatement.
(c) Metaphor and imagery.
(d) Personification and simile.

9. 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) Scoops Doodle up and dances with him in the rain.
(b) Says a prayer and tells them God will take care of them.
(c) Raises his fist and curses the weather and the Republican party.
(d) Jumps into a puddle in the field and pretends to swim.

10. When Brother says that both he and Doodle believed in his "infallibility" (7), what does he mean that they believe?
(a) That Brother can never do anything wrong.
(b) That Brother always succeeds.
(c) That Brother is kind.
(d) That Brother is a good Christian.

11. What are Doodle's last words?
(a) "I told you."
(b) "Don't leave me!"
(c) "Don't hurt me!"
(d) "I love you."

12. What does Brother say causes him to run home during the storm?
(a) Cruelty.
(b) Fear.
(c) Disappointment.
(d) Shame.

13. What kind of tree is in Brother's yard when he is a child?
(a) One with thorns.
(b) One with medicinal bark.
(c) One with red flowers.
(d) One with cloudy sap.

14. What explanation does Daddy offer for the ibis's behavior?
(a) It does not seem to be able to see very well.
(b) The bird is far from its usual habitat.
(c) It is tired, or sick.
(d) It has been injured by the storm.

15. What does Daddy have Mr. Heath make for Doodle?
(a) A casket.
(b) A wheelchair.
(c) A cart.
(d) A special bed.

Short Answer Questions

1. The sentence "Mama once said, 'And bless the Pearsons, whose boy Joe was lost at Belleau Wood'" (8) is an example of which literary technique?

2. What is the swamp near their house called?

3. What does Brother compare Doodle to when he finds Doodle dead?

4. Why does Brother cry when everyone hugs him for teaching Doodle to walk?

5. What evidence is there that Brother is pushing Doodle too hard?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 736 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample