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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. Does the narrator tell his friends about his training and his intentions to beat Scut Farkas?

2. A week before taking his family to Michigan for their vacation, the Old Man makes a phone call to request what?

3. When the narrator realizes he forgot to pack something for the Michigan trip, where does he remember leaving it?

4. What happens to the house next door to the narrator after the Bumpus family moves in?

5. Who is Scut Farkas?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the Mariah and the Wolf?

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

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

4. Explain how the narrator prepares for his spinning tops battle against Farkas.

5. Where do the Bumpuses make their illegal liquor?

6. What are some of the misadventures the family experiences on their drive to Michigan?

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

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

9. Describe the race that the Old Man and the narrator watch at the County Fair.

10. Describe the Shepherd family's arrival at Ollie Hopnoodle's resort in Clear Lake.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1. Expand and explain the narrator's point of view that prom is a rite of passage full of strange rituals that he and others are forced to attend as they become adults.

2. Despite his reluctance at attending the prom, does the narrator have a good time at the dance? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

As a young person, the narrator spends a great deal of time living in his world of daydreams and imagination. How does the reality of his life compare to the world of his imagination? How do his daydreams serve him when reality is full of disappointments?

Essay Topic 3

A day at the County Fair turns into another opportunity for the author to showcase the Shepherds' eccentricities. Describe the fair experience from the viewpoint of each family member -- Mother, Randy, the Old Man, and the narrator. Who seems to enjoy the fair the most, and why? Use examples to support your conclusion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 949 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample