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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who was Adam shopping with when he ran into one of Reynolds’ friends?
(a) Jonathan.
(b) His mother and grandmother.
(c) Amber.
(d) Sima.

2. Jonathan compares his classmate Russell to a character in what book?
(a) Cannery Row.
(b) Of Mice and Men.
(c) The Grapes of Wrath.
(d) The Sound and the Fury.

3. What event of Jane’s did the Phelpses show up to protest?
(a) A public discussion.
(b) A keynote address.
(c) A reading.
(d) A lecture on psychology.

4. Where had Jonathan’s family lived before they went abroad?
(a) San Francisco.
(b) Maryland.
(c) New York.
(d) Topeka.

5. Who does Adam say was central to including Darren?
(a) Himself.
(b) Jonathan.
(c) Jason.
(d) Cody Williams.

6. What were Darren’s friends doing while he puked into the grass at Clinton Lake?
(a) Ignoring him.
(b) Trying to soothe him.
(c) Leaving.
(d) Chanting his name.

7. How does Jane characterize Adam’s behavior over dinner with her and Jonathan and Amber?
(a) He was a clown.
(b) He was a saint.
(c) He was a know-it-all.
(d) He was a bully.

8. How does Jonathan characterize the sound of adults’ voices while his family lived abroad?
(a) Like the sound of unintelligible foreign languages.
(b) Like the sound of the trombone for the teacher’s voice in Peanuts.
(c) Like a constant alarm going off.
(d) Like the sound of lowball classes clinking with ice and alcohol.

9. Where was Darren when he finally called his mother collect, to come get him?
(a) Clinton Lake.
(b) Lawrence.
(c) Topeka.
(d) Stull.

10. Why did Adam prefer poetry to debate?
(a) Poetry led to better colleges.
(b) Poets got more female attention.
(c) Debate was harder.
(d) Debate made you nerdy.

11. Why did Adam lose his debate in the semi-finals?
(a) He blanked out for a long moment.
(b) His opponent spread him.
(c) He insulted the judges.
(d) He quoted incorrect information.

12. Where was Jonathan returning the U.S. from, when he recalls being 16, at the beginning of the New York School chapter?
(a) Taiwan.
(b) Sydney.
(c) Topeka.
(d) Paris.

13. How does the narrator characterize Darren?
(a) A baby.
(b) A man-child.
(c) An animal.
(d) A pet.

14. What kind of signs does Adam say his classmates exchanged?
(a) Fraternity signs.
(b) Military signs.
(c) Signs of their own creation.
(d) Gang signs.

15. How does the narrator characterize the state of American culture?
(a) Lost boys without parents.
(b) Seven lost generations.
(c) Relentlessly cruel innovation.
(d) Adolescence without end.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Jane make herself think about Adam, instead of admitting his behavior?

2. What was Darren’s inclusion a joke on, according to Adam?

3. What does the narrator say the Topekans feel about Fred Phelps?

4. How does Adam’s mother characterize the author of the purple cow lyric?

5. How does the narrator say people like Darren learn to differentiate themselves in this country?

(see the answer keys)

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