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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why are there no children at the park according to the narrator when they arrive in Chapter 13, DUCKS?
(a) Because it is night, and the other children are asleep.
(b) Because it is a scary park on the bad side of town.
(c) Because it is closed to the public for renovations.
(d) Because they are all in school.

2. Where does the headbanger bring the brothers at his house in Chapter 16, WASN'T NO ONE TO STOP THIS?
(a) The living room.
(b) The garage.
(c) His bedroom.
(d) The basement.

3. Why does the narrator get on the bus in Chapter 18, THE NIGHT I WAS MADE?
(a) To eat some food and warm up.
(b) To hide from his brothers.
(c) To use the bathroom.
(d) To get away from the snow.

4. Why does Ma most likely call the truck, "that truck" instead of "the truck"?
(a) Because Paps tells Ma that it is his truck, and Ma cannot drive it.
(b) Because Paps buys the truck without telling her, and it has no seats for the brothers.
(c) Because the family has not paid for all of it.
(d) Because it is old and rickety and will most likely break down.

5. Out on the loading dock in Chapter 18, THE NIGHT I AM MADE, what do the narrator and his brothers look toward?
(a) The future.
(b) A poverty-stricken destiny.
(c) Death and defeat.
(d) The bright stars in the sky.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the brothers do with the blue rubber pall to play the sidewalk chalk circle game?

2. Who do the brothers imitate while playing their chalk circle game in Chapter 16, WASN'T NO ONE TO STOP THIS?

3. Who is the narrator illustrating at the start of Chapter 18, THE NIGHT I AM MADE, on Page 103?

4. After Manny's dream, what implied comparison is made about the dream to the brothers' current situation in Chapter 15, TRASH KITES?

5. What about previous experiences in the novel may have led the author to title the last Chapter, ZOOKEEPING?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why might the brothers claim to be "Ma's Militia" (80) in Chapter 14, TRENCH?

2. How does the narrator react to seeing his journal in Ma's lap at the end of the novel?

3. Why is it unusual for the narrator to be dancing like a "mer-man prince" (100) at the museum theater in Niagara Falls?

4. What does the narrator claim is the closest to being "made" he has ever been while hiding in the bus station bathroom? What does this exploit reveal about the narrator's secret?

5. What does the author's choice to intertwine the narrator's episode in the locker room while watching the pornographic video contribute to uncover the narrator's notion of sexuality?

6. At the start of Chapter 16, WASN'T NO ONE TO STOP THIS, while playing a game, what do the brothers' imitation of Paps divulge about their sensibilities?

7. How does the headbanger's interpretation of the chalk circle being separated in a way that looks similar to a peace sign contribute to the story?

8. How does the narrator relate a stray cat's neglect of drinking milk they have given to her to Ma?

9. In the final Chapter, ZOOKEEPER, what do you realize about the narrator's mindset?

10. How does Manny explain his idea of "God" to his brothers after playing the chalk circle game?

(see the answer keys)

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