View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Fred Phelps’ family call Jane Gordon?

2. When Adam understood the language of products, what did he understand them to be saying?

3. Jonathan compares his classmate Russell to a character in what book?

4. What advice that Evanson gave to Adam had Jane received from her supervisor?

5. How does the narrator characterize Darren?

Short Essay Questions

1. What observations does Adam make about American culture when he is in the supermarket with his mother and grandmother?

2. In what ways did Adam and his friend shift their aggression into the realm of language?

3. What is Adam’s relationship with Peter Evanson?

4. What is the importance of the purple cow?

5. What is the importance of the painted tissue box?

6. What is the social scene Darren hung out in?

7. What motivated Darren to throw the cue ball at the girl?

8. How does Jonathan describe the conditions where he grew up in Taiwan?

9. How does the narrator characterize the interaction between Adam and Jane and the Phelpses on the way to Jane’s keynote address?

10. What explanation does Jonathan give for why his parents and the diplomats drank so much in Taiwan?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an evaluative review of The Topeka School. What is this book’s place in our culture? Who will find this book most useful? What are its uses? What are its limitations?

Essay Topic 2

What topics would you like to research further, after reading The Topeka School? Describe why additional research or reading would be beneficial to an understanding of this book. Propose a list of articles or books you would read in order to get a better handle on The Topeka School.

Essay Topic 3

Evaluate your own reading of The Topeka School—did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,036 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample