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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 the family react when the boys reveal that Doodle can walk?

2. When Mama tells Brother that she is afraid that Doodle might not be "all there," what is Brother's response (2)?

3. Who does Doodle suggest that Brother can marry?

4. How old is Doodle when they reveal to the family that he can walk?

5. When Brother asks "What are the words that can solder cracked pride?" (11), what is he comparing words to?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways is the summer of 1918 hard on the family's crops?

2. What future do "Brother" and Doodle imagine for themselves at Old Woman Sawmp?

3. How old is Doodle when he learns to walk, and why is his age relevant to him learning to walk?

4. Toward the end of summer, how does "Brother" say that he and Doodle are feeling about the training, and why do they keep going?

5. What is the family's reaction to Doodle when he is born?

6. When the boys are almost ready to show the family that Doodle can walk and they keep hinting that they have a big secret, what does Nicey tell them and what is its thematic significance?

7. What does the narrator make Doodle do in the barn loft, and how does Doodle react?

8. What do Doodle and "Brother" do with the flowers at Old Woman Swamp?

9. What images of death does the story open with?

10. How does Doodle die?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you consider the effect that story structure has on the reader's understanding of theme. Think about how this story would be different if "Brother" told the story as it was happening or even immediately afterward. When you consider that "Brother" has had years to grow up and think about his actions towards Doodle, how does that impact your understanding of what his story means? Be sure to use textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 2

The narrator feels responsible for his brother's death. Do you agree? Write an essay using evidence form the story to argue that "Brother" is or is not responsible for Doodle's death.

Essay Topic 3

What has the narrator learned from his brother's death? Use evidence from the text to demonstrate how his attitudes and beliefs have either stayed the same or changed between the time when he was a child and the time when he tells this story.

(see the answer keys)

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