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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. Which of his teachers did Vernon have to run an errand for?

2. Where does Taylor want Vernon to meet him?

3. Which of the following towns is nearest to Martirio?

4. What is the name of the motel the crowd gathers outside?

5. Where does Vernon want Taylor to take him?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Vernon's Mom betray the fact she does not believe in her son's innocence?

2. What advice does Vernon's mother give him before the trial?

3. What reason does Vaine give for Vernon's arrest?

4. Why does Vernon hang up on his Mom when he talks to her from prison?

5. How does Goosens probe Vernon in Act 2, chapter 7?

6. What does Vernon imagine about the TV movie of his life?

7. Why does Vernon want to get out of Texas?

8. Why does Vernon make faces before appearing on TV?

9. What does Ladesma tell Vernon about trials?

10. How does Vernon change fate in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the author's writing style. How would you describe the author's prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? What meaning does the author's style give to the story?

Essay Topic 2

Why are a person's teenage years supposed to be so difficult? How much was Jesus' reaction to the bullying because of his sensitive age? In what way does Vernon's young age become a joke in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the book's reception in three different countries including the country in which the book was written. How do their opinions about the books differ? Was the book more influential in one country than another? If so, why?

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