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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Farkas mean when he challenges the narrator to play for keeps?
(a) Whoever loses the next round is never allowed to spin tops on the playground again.
(b) Both tops are released into a circle, and the first one to leave the circle loses.
(c) Winner keeps the tops; the loser keeps away from the playground.
(d) Whoever wins gets to take and keep the opponent's top.

2. At their Michigan destination, what does the narrator say when the Old Man starts talking about going fishing?
(a) He says he'll stay in the cabin reading comic books.
(b) He laments out loud that this is the worst trip ever.
(c) He reminds his father that he forgot to pack his gear.
(d) He says he can't wait to go fishing.

3. According to the book, important industries of Northern Indiana are steel mills and what else?
(a) Car manufacturers.
(b) Candy factories.
(c) Pharmaceuticals.
(d) Oil refineries.

4. A week before taking his family to Michigan for their vacation, the Old Man makes a phone call to request what?
(a) Larger houseboat.
(b) King-size tent.
(c) Green cabin.
(d) Deluxe room.

5. The narrator notes that the only way to get his father going in the morning is with what?
(a) A plate of bacon and eggs.
(b) The morning paper.
(c) A double espresso.
(d) A cigarette and coffee.

6. What does the Old Man say every year when he and his family leave the County Fair?
(a) He ate way too much.
(b) The fair seems to get better each year.
(c) He teases the boys about walking home from the fair.
(d) The fair has taken every dollar he had.

7. At what point does the narrator realize they are halfway to their Michigan destination?
(a) When the contents of the car have shifted so much he can no longer move.
(b) After he almost faints from dehydration and heat exhaustion.
(c) When Randy throws up, because he does this every year at the halfway mark.
(d) After they've been driving for six hours without stopping.

8. On the family road trip, where do the narrator and his brother fit in a car that is so full of supplies?
(a) Sitting on top of the cooler in the far back.
(b) The tiny travel trailer hitched to the car.
(c) The front seat with Mother and the Old Man.
(d) Two tiny cubicles inside the vehicle.

9. How does the Old Man feel about the farming exhibits at the County Fair?
(a) He couldn't care less about them.
(b) He thinks his sons should see the exhibits.
(c) He really enjoys the dairy and corn exhibits.
(d) He doesn't think they should skip any.

10. What is the name of the Indiana town where most of the stories in the book supposedly take place?
(a) Hohman.
(b) Longview.
(c) DeBerne.
(d) Frankton.

11. What daredevil act do a couple of skinny blond girls perform at the County Fair?
(a) Roman riding on horseback.
(b) Exchanging motorcycles in midair.
(c) High diving into a pool.
(d) Jumping through a wall of fire.

12. How many Bumpuses move next door to the narrator and his family?
(a) Nine.
(b) Thirteen.
(c) Nobody knows for sure.
(d) Twelve Bumpuses and three of their friends.

13. The Old Man is a lifelong fan of which baseball team?
(a) Cincinnati Reds.
(b) Chicago White Sox.
(c) Detroit Tigers.
(d) New York Mets.

14. What is the little wooden house with the moon on the door found in the Bumpus' yard?
(a) Gun storage shed.
(b) Dog house.
(c) Moonshine making station.
(d) Guest room.

15. The narrator lives in Northern Indiana with whom?
(a) Father, mother, and brother.
(b) Father, mother, and sister.
(c) Parents and grandmother.
(d) Parents and uncle.

Short Answer Questions

1. What name does the narrator give his "weapon"?

2. For the family's Michigan trip, what does the Old Man pack into the Sears luggage rack on the car roof?

3. On the morning of the family's departure for their Michigan trip, Mother is in the kitchen scrambling eggs and making coffee while the Old Man is doing what?

4. What kind of top is the narrator looking for?

5. When the Old Man gets himself a beer at the fair, what does he get for his older son?

(see the answer keys)

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