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

2. Who goes on the Old Man's favorite ride at the County Fair?
(a) The Old Man and Mother only.
(b) The Old Man and his two sons.
(c) The four members of the Shepherd family.
(d) Randy and his brother only.

3. When the narrator starts spinning tops against opponents other than Scut, what does he use?
(a) Borrowed tops.
(b) His best top.
(c) Broken tops.
(d) Lesser quality tops.

4. When the narrator visits a museum as an adult, what special item does he find?
(a) A yo-yo used by the 1964 yo-yo world champion.
(b) A top believed to have belonged to a former President.
(c) A skateboard donated by a famous sports star.
(d) A softball signed by his favorite ballplayer.

5. Who successfully rings the bell at the County Fair strong man exhibit?
(a) The Old Man.
(b) Caleb.
(c) Randy.
(d) Mother.

Short Answer Questions

1. What happens when, during the family's road trip, the Old Man refuses the opportunity to purchase gas at the last station?

2. In Story One, what sport does Delbert disrupt in gym class?

3. Wanting to beat Scut Farkas at his game, what does the narrator do?

4. The narrator notes that the only way to get his father going in the morning is with what?

5. Where does the narrator's family stay during their vacations in Clear Lake, Michigan?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is top spinning, and why are the boys of Warren G. Harding Elementary School so obsessed with this pastime?

2. How does the narrator describe getting to the County Fair?

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

4. Describe the Shepherd family's annual summer vacation.

5. How do the brothers behave at the County Fair?

6. What happens to the much anticipated Easter ham in Story One?

7. What is the final outcome of the battle of the spinning tops between Scut Farkas and the narrator?

8. Where do the Bumpuses make their illegal liquor?

9. During their road trip, the narrator is convinced that he left his fishing gear back home. What does he discover about his gear at the end of the story?

10. What happens when Randy, the Old Man, and the narrator ride the Whirligig Rocket Whip?

(see the answer keys)

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