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

2. What is the Mariah?

3. When the narrator visits a museum as an adult, what special item does he find?

4. At the fair, who wins the dirt races by half a car length?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. On departure day, why does the Shepherd family fail to leave for their annual trip at six in the morning as planned?

3. Describe the sense of anticipation the Shepherd family members feel as they prepare to experience the County Fair. What is each family member looking forward to the most?

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

5. Where do the Bumpuses make their illegal liquor?

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

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

8. Where does the narrator find a top worthy of a battle against Scut Farkas, the school's bully and master top spinner?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the narrator's love interests: Josephine, Daphne, and Wanda. Which one is best suited for him, if any? What important life lessons does he learn from his experiences with each?

Essay Topic 2

Using examples from the book, explain how the narrator benefits when he applies, or engages in, the following:

a. Self-discipline

b. Family traditions

c. Challenging the status quo

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the Shepherd and the Bumpus families.

1. In what ways do the Bumpuses annoy the Old Man and his family?

2. Despite the stark differences between the Shepherds and the Bumpuses, what makes each family bizarre and eccentric in its own way?

(see the answer keys)

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