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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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 they've been driving for six hours without stopping.
(c) After he almost faints from dehydration and heat exhaustion.
(d) When Randy throws up, because he does this every year at the halfway mark.

2. The winner of the spinning top battle between Farkas and the narrator could very well do what?
(a) Demand lunch money from the kids gathered there.
(b) Beat up the loser.
(c) Change life at Warren G. Harding School.
(d) Intimidate the other kids all the way through high school.

3. What does the narrator say to get Scut Farkas to challenge him at top spinning?
(a) "I can beat anybody, even the best top player here."
(b) "Our school has never produced a top champion."
(c) "Top spinning is the easiest thing in the world."
(d) "There's no good top men around here, anyway."

4. What happens when, during the family's road trip, the Old Man refuses the opportunity to purchase gas at the last station?
(a) Mother yells at him until he does a u-turn and gets gas.
(b) They run out of gas, the radiatior overheats, and a tire goes flat, all at the same time.
(c) They run out of gas and he has to hike back for some.
(d) They run out of gas at the resort entrance and have to push the car in.

5. Halfway along the journey to Michigan, what does the narrator realize he forgot to pack?
(a) Alarm clock.
(b) Comic book collection.
(c) Fishing gear.
(d) Camera.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does the narrator describe the sound that his spinning top makes?

2. When Randy starts to whine the night before the County Fair, what does Mother promise him?

3. Who is spying on the narrator when he starts to spin tops against opponents?

4. During the family's road trip to Michigan, why does Mother suddenly insist that the Old Man stop the car?

5. When Mother prepares the ham, she tops it with what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the house next door to the Shepherds transform after the Bumpus family moves in?

2. How does the narrator trick Farkas into challenging him to a battle of spinning tops?

3. How does the author lead the narrator into telling the story of his top-spinning battle with Scut Farkas?

4. Who does most of the work when it's time to prepare for the narrator's annual vacation?

5. Describe the conditions inside the car during the drive to Clear Lake, Michigan.

6. What happens after the narrator uses a dummy top and lets Farkas win the first round?

7. At the end of the Shepherd family's County Fair excursion, what is the Old Man's assessment?

8. Describe the yard of the Bumpus family.

9. Describe some of the interesting sights the four members of the Shepherd family see while they are together at the County Fair.

10. How does the Old Man feel towards the Bumpus family?

(see the answer keys)

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