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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. One of the adult narrator's prized collections is a set of first edition comics of what cartoon?

2. In Story Five, when the narrator, Schwartz, and Flick hitchhike home from school, who picks them up?

3. The prom outfit for each boy includes a white jacket, dark trousers, shoes, socks, shirt, tie, boutonniere, and what else?

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

5. What do Schwartz and the narrator order after finishing the first item they order?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Describe the narrator's trip to Daphne's house.

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

5. How does the narrator's date with Josephine end?

6. Why does the narrator grow more and more uncomfortable at the party with Josephine?

7. What happens to the adult narrator's fire chief hat?

8. How does the narrator's prom night end?

9. What conflict exists for the narrator regarding the night of the party that he's invited to by Josephine?

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

The Old Man is a study in contrasts. One minute he's cursing and complaining, the next he's laughing and joking about a challenge he just went through. Using examples from the book, create a description of the Old Man that shows him as a man of contrasts and mixed messages. How do his sons handle a father as unpredictable as theirs?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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