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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. What is the name of the new girl next door whom the narrator is smitten by?

2. As an adult, the narrator lives in what type of dwelling?

3. Where must the narrator and his friends rent prom clothes from?

4. When Mr. Bigelow chats with the narrator as he waits for Daphne at her house, the man mistakes the young man for who?

5. How does Wanda feel about the narrator?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how the narrator prepares for his date with Daphne.

2. Describe Daphne's and the narrator's date.

3. What impression does the narrator make on Mr. Bigelow, Daphne's dad?

4. Why doesn't the narrator ask Daphne Bigelow to the prom?

5. How does the narrator get his fire chief hat back?

6. What are some of the items the narrator finds in the box of toys his mother sends him when he's an adult?

7. Describe Daphne Bigelow, the girl of the narrator's dreams.

8. Describe the narrator's first major encounter with Josephine.

9. Where does the narrator live when he is an adult?

10. How does the narrator's family react when he says that he's asked Daphne Bigelow out on a date?

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

1. Explain how the author chooses to lead up to the Shepherd family's experiences at the County Fair.

2. Is this method of starting with a present event and then looking back across time an effective one? Why or why not?

3. Is this technique used in other stories in the book? If so, cite at least one more example and analyze its effectiveness.

Essay Topic 3

How does the narrator feel after the battles against Scut Farkas, the school bully, in top-spinning matches? Who wins? Does it even matter who wins, or does the narrator grow in confidence and self-assurance as a result of his desire to best the bully? Explain your reasoning.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 944 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample