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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 gesture does Gardo make that Olivia says steadies her within the confines of the prison?

2. What do the boys figure out the slash in the code means?

3. Where does Gardo meet Marco in order to pay him and procure the Bible?

4. What is unusual about the second time Jose Angelico uses Frederico Gonz's services?

5. What does Gardo see in Marco's eyes when he first sees him during their meeting?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the boys figure out that the money lies within the Navaro Graveyard at the center of the city?

2. Why does Gardo interrupt Olivia's narration of the jail visit with his own narration in Part 3, Chapter 6?

3. What features of the prison result in Olivia's pronouncement of the place as a "hell" (100)?

4. When Raphael and Gardo use Gabriel Olondriz's Bible in order to decipher the code included within the letter the boys had found within the train station locker, why is Rat unable to help them decipher the message and how does this inability add to the difference between him and the other two boys?

5. Why are there dozens of families living in shacks nearby Colva Prison?

6. According to Mohun in his diary printed in The Daily Star newspaper, what might Senator Zapanta do to him in retaliation for his accusations?

7. What method do Raphael, Gardo, and Rat use in order to evade the police after they leap from rooftop to rooftop in an attempt to escape?

8. What is seed-corn money and why does Senator Zapanta's theft of that money ultimately cost the poor twice as much as that seed-corn sum?

9. In what ways does Raphael seem to have lingering negative effects from his experiences within the police station?

10. Of what crimes was Gabriel Olondriz falsely accused after his attempt to expose Senator Zapanta's corruption?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trace the characterization arc of Raphael's character throughout the novel. Discuss whether he is a round or flat character and whether he is a static or dynamic character. Use concrete details to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,293 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample