2. 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?

3. At the end of Story Four, what does the reader learn about the narrator's fishing gear?

4. What does the Old Man do two weeks prior to the family's departure for their annual Michigan vacation?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Summarize how Mother prepares the traditional Easter ham.

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

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

8. Describe the yard of the Bumpus family.

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

For Wanda Hickey, prom night is a golden evening of wonder where she has the amazing good luck of going with the boy she's always had a crush on. How does the night turn out for her? Does it meet her expectations? Despite some mishaps, is she pleased with the evening? Would she have liked anything to have been different? Support your answers with passages from the book.