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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 position had Pascal Aguila held before his untimely death?

2. How much money does Raphael say he makes on a good day?

3. What does Raphael's aunt tell him to do with the wallet he has found?

4. What place do the foreigners visit when they come to the dumpsite in which the rubbish boys work?

5. What does Father Juilliard say he has to use in order to bribe the children to attend school?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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?

4. What is the main point of Grace's piece of narration from the story?

5. What is different about the day the police come to orchestrate the search for the leather bag, versus a normal day within the dumpsite?

6. What reasons does Gardo give for wanting to be patient and putting off their visit to the train station to check out what is inside the locker?

7. How does Raphael know that the police do not know that there was a key among the items inside the leather bag for which they are searching?

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

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

10. Who was Pascal Aguila?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many instances of irony are included in the novel's narrative, including that the boys' discovery of the leather bag is both extremely lucky and extremely unlucky, since it brings both the prospect of freedom from poverty and the greatest dangers imaginable. Find three other instances of irony within the novel and discuss each instance's significance.

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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