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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 stops Asa from initiating contact with Jean when he sees her?

2. What does Asa love about playing baseball?

3. What is the name of the hospital where Asa's mother is being taken?

4. How old is Asa in this story?

5. What is in the box that Asa hold on his lap during the ride from the old house to the new one?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what area do Asa and Dave build some sort of relationship?

2. What grade is Asa in in "What Hearts" and who is the girl he loves?

3. How does the story, "Out" begin and what is the content of the story?

4. How well is the game going for Asa and his Little League team and what good plays does Asa make?

5. Describe the encounter between Dave and Asa in the backyard on the night before Asa leaves?

6. What is the nature of Asa's mother's illness and what impact has it had on Asa's transient life?

7. What is the name of Asa's Little League team and who are they playing in the game in Chapter 3?

8. Why does Asa have to pack his things on the day he tells Jean he loves her?

9. Why do Asa and his mother not end up moving into the apartment in Raleigh?

10. Who gives Asa the candy hearts and how is the loving mood broken by the teacher's announcement?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the greatest lesson Asa learns from Dave? Is it that important lessons are also painful ones? What will Asa always recall about his life with Dave as his stepfather?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Asa's relationship with his mother. How does he feel about her even though she has made his life difficult at times? Is the relationship especially difficult because of Asa's mother's mental illness? How does Asa's kindness and forgiveness help define their important bond?

Essay Topic 3

The author used more than one iteration on the theme of loss. Identify at least two examples about loss in the book and then explain why the examples support the theme.

(see the answer keys)

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