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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 does Adam dig for his mother's garden?

2. Who are two people who taunt Adam as he is driving the wagon?

3. What does Sam offer to do?

4. What happens when Rowena's parents investigate?

5. What business does Adam take up?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Adam hear as he is going to bed and what does his pa say about it?

2. What greets Adam when he wakes the next morning?

3. What does Rowena tell Henry and Sam and what is Henry's response?

4. How is Henry when Rowena returns from the party?

5. What does Adam promise his mother and what does this promise prompt Adam to do?

6. What do Rowena's parents hear and then learn when they investigate?

7. What surprises Adam and his mother?

8. Why does Adam's pa make a raft and what do they do with the raft?

9. What happens when Adam tries the dowsing stick a few times and what is his mother's response to what he tells her about it?

10. How do the three young people turn out?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many readers of fiction place themselves in the position of one character, wondering if they would do the same thing as that character. Discuss the following:

1. Do you think one of the values of literature is to serve as a reflection of oneself? Why or why not?

2. Socrates said "Know thyself." How can reading a book such as "The Wish Giver" help a reader to know him/herself? Do you find yourself reflecting on your own character and abilities when reading "The Wish Giver"? Why or why not.

3. Choose one specific incident in "The Wish Giver" to discuss and compare one of the characters' response to how you think you would respond.

Essay Topic 2

The central character in each tale experiences a particularly challenging confrontation with his / her inability to achieve a driving desire, impulsively uses the wishing card s/he purchased from Thaddeus Blinn, and begins to suffer the consequences of that impulse. In this context, structure and theme can be seen to interrelate, the principle of cause and effect (i.e. this action causing that reaction causing this action, and so on and so on) coming into play in order to reinforce the work's central thematic contention that blindly following impulse is dangerous.

1. Chose one of the characters of Polly, Rowena or Adam and discuss, in depths ways in which their desire could have been achieved without a wish card. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Do you think some of the consequences of using the wish card might still have happened if the characters had never met Blinn? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Do you think impulsive behavior always has negative consequences? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and often times the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think The Wish Giveris? Explain your response.

(see the answer keys)

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