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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. What insects are in the window wells of the church in Chapter 5?

2. Where do Russell and Lloyd came out after the Case Special comes through?

3. From how far do men and boys come to see the Case Special?

4. What type of snake is in the hen house in Chapter 4?

5. How far are the Culvers from the mourners' bench for Miss Arbuckle's funeral?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Tansy only cook for the family in the summer and why does the family live for her cooking?

2. Why does Russell think the board hires Tansy rather than a teacher trained at the Terre Haute normal school?

3. How does Russell describe the month of August?

4. Who was the schoolmaster in the early years?

5. What does Charlie find on a trotline when he checks the lines in Chapter 4?

6. What does Russell do after he and Lloyd help Tansy clean up the school?

7. What was the first schoolhouse like in the community?

8. What do Russell and Lloyd find in the henhouse in Chapter 4, and how do they deal with it?

9. How does Russell scare Lloyd during their camping trip?

10. What does Tansy pack for the boys camping trip at the creek?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Miss Arbuckle, the long-time teacher, dies. How do Russell and the other boys feel about her death? Why do they feel that way?

Essay Topic 2

Russell and Charlie smoke a buggy whip before school. One of them drops the whip in the dry grass, and a fire starts in the boys' privy. How and why does Russell have to make restitution?

Essay Topic 3

What a reader knows about events and characters is determined by the point of view in a book. What is the point of view in the book? How does the point of view influence what readers know about events and characters? How does it help readers connect with and understand characters, especially Russell?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 852 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample