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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 subject is Manny always trying to teach the narrator and Joel about as brought up in Chapter 16, WASN'T NO ONE TO STOP US?

2. What simile is used on Page 75 to describe the brothers leaning out the window watching Paps?

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

4. What does the final chapter lead the reader to believe about the narrator's mental space?

5. What is the final act of kindness Paps shows toward the narrator?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What "lie" does the narrator assume his brothers think about their futures while standing on the loading dock?

3. What is the narrator's mood after being "made" by the bus driver?

4. At the end of Chapter 16, WASN'T NO ONE TO STOP THIS, the narrator says, "Why won't you look at me, my brothers, why won't you take my eyes?" (97). Why does the other want his brothers to "take his eyes"?

5. How does Ma feel after visiting the park? What statements or behavior show her feelings?

6. How do you know that the narrator and the bus driver have a sexual encounter? (Provide a quote.)

7. In Chapter 15, TRASH KITES, how does the reader know that the narrator feels differently from his brother Joel about watching Manny be beaten by Paps? What does this say about the narrator as a character?

8. What does Manny's dream about kites represent for the brothers and their futures? Provide a quote that shows your reasoning.

9. How does Ma react when she returns home to find the hole in the backyard?

10. What does it say about the narrator when he ponders, "Who knows this mutt life, this race mixing? Who knows Paps?" (104) in Chapter 19, THE NIGHT I AM MADE?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the end of Chapter 9, TALK TO ME, the narrator and Joel impersonate a phone call between Paps and Ma that begins argumentative but ends in what could be considered rather contrasting reactions, either despairing or hopeful depending your viewpoint. What do Joel's final statements symbolize about family life and the future?

Essay Topic 2

Manny has a symbolic dream at the end of Chapter 15, TRASH KITES. Examine pages 84-85, identify the symbol of "kites" and analyze how the dream exposes more about the nature of the brothers' situation.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 6, US PROPER, the brothers are told about their births from Ma. Ma explains how young she was and how Paps "tricked her." At the end of the Chapter, the boys encounter a pregnant woman and ask her unorthodox questions about her own pregnancy. The woman responds that the brothers need to behave properly. Why do you think this Chapter is titled, "US PROPER?" What is the relevance of the word "US" in the Chapter title, when it may have just been called, "BEING PROPER"?

(see the answer keys)

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