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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 beverage has Dave made in the middle of the night?

2. Why can Dave and Asa not fix the car themselves?

3. What does Asa smell in the house when he returns home from school?

4. When are Asa and his mother moving out of the house?

5. In what class did Asa first meet the girl in #140?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author let the reader have some sympathy for Dave as a result of his relationship with Asa's mother?

2. Why does Asa's mother decide that she no longer wants to take her antidepressant medication?

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

4. Where do Dave and Asa take Asa's mother after she tried to commit suicide and what event will Asa miss as a result?

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

6. How does Asa's mother try to kill herself in one night?

7. Why does Dave not want Asa to get the nice upstairs bedroom in the new house?

8. What sport does Dave not like very much but he agrees to help Asa practice so Asa can try out for a team?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of struggle. Identify at least two instances about struggle in the book and then cite examples to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Describe Jean. What is her role in the story, "What Hearts"? What was the author trying to accomplish by developing Jean's character in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 848 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample