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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 is the word people in the area use to demonstrate respect for their elders when addressing them?

2. For how many years has Gabriel Olondriz been in prison?

3. How old are Raphael and Gardo within the narrative?

4. How old is Father Juilliard?

5. From what material is the Mission School made?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is a "special" (18) and how does the idea of a "special" widen the scope of the reader's understanding of Trash's setting?

2. Describe the scene in which Raphael is taken from his home and is forced into the police car.

3. What does Raphael say is the reason for Jose Angelico's arrest?

4. Which of the three boys is chosen to open the train station locker with the key from inside the found leather bag and why?

5. Though the police beat Raphael severely, leaving him bruised and battered, what actions do they threaten him with that never actually come to pass?

6. At what point does Raphael realize that the contents of the bag must be hugely important to the police?

7. What does Father Juilliard say about his imminent departure from his position running the Pascal Aguila Mission School?

8. Describe Raphael's house in Behala.

9. Why do Raphael and Gardo continue working nonchalantly after they find the leather bag full of money?

10. What does Grace say about where she imagines Pia Dante is now?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Though the reader may expect that the end of the novel will end in a realistic and probably bleak way in order to reflect the realities of children mired in poverty and exploitation, the author chooses instead to depict a neatly tied-up and happy ending for the boys. Explain the author's purpose in attaching a happy ending to a wholly bleak yet realistic portrayal of the misery in which some children live in the twenty-first century. Include concrete details from the novel to support your points.

Essay Topic 2

The novel Trash does not shy away from including graphic and disturbing details when describing the lives of the poverty-stricken children making their living within the dump or when portraying the dire conditions in which the society's prisoners are forced to live. Andy Mulligan has said that he wants to make sure young people all over the world are educated about the poverty and hardships that exist for children in many different societies. Some may say that the harsh realities depicted in Trash's narrative are too disturbing for that young audience, however. Write a persuasive essay in which you argue for or against the use of Trash in schools, and be sure to include several logical reasons with accompanying concrete details to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the interplay between the climax of the novel Trash and its denouement. How does the author employ them and how does their juxtaposition help him get across the main message of the novel? Use quotes from the narrative to prove your claim.

(see the answer keys)

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