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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 does Tony's mom let him quit taking violin lessons?
(a) The teacher tells her that Tony needs to rest.
(b) The teacher tells her that the violin is not the right instrument for Tony.
(c) The teacher tells her that Tony is unruly.
(d) The teacher tells her that Tony is not talented.

2. What does Brent see as he enters the El Paso bus station?
(a) A picture of a missing child.
(b) A picture of himself on a "Wanted" poster.
(c) A lost puppy.
(d) A picture of Lea.

3. Where does Brent mount the whirligig he finishes in Chapter 5?
(a) On a church lawn.
(b) On a tree trunk.
(c) On a restaurant window.
(d) On the front porch of the establishment.

4. In what setting does Brent go about building the third whirligig in Chapter 7?
(a) On a beach next to a sand dune.
(b) Near a boarded up ice cream shop.
(c) On a pier near the ocean.
(d) Near a cottage on a deserted beach road.

5. In Chapter 8, what serves as Brent's alarm clock on the beach?
(a) A mosquito buzzing in his ear.
(b) The waves crashing.
(c) A fisherman walking past him.
(d) Children playing in the sand.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Brent have with him that could make his journey easier?

2. With whom does Tony pretend to have a conversation throughout Chapter 6?

3. What is Grandma wearing at the beginning of Chapter 8?

4. In Chapter 5, when Brent enters a dining room, who fills him with envy?

5. What is Brent trying to learn from a book he has purchased?

Short Essay Questions

1. What effect do her parents' actions concerning their Jewish heritage have on Jenny?

2. Emil makes a comment to Brent that his father had told him that teachers live forever through their students. When Brent hears this, what person in his past comes to mind? What do her words mean to Brent at the time she speaks to him? What realization has Emil's sharing brought to Brent?

3. What does Brent resolve to do as he reads his star guide book? How is he already accomplishing his goal with the whirligigs?

4. Describe the wooden band whirligig. How does it move in the wind?

5. Up until this point in his life, Brent has never had any interests other than looking cool. What new interests are now filling Brent's spare time? What role models have helped him establish these other interests?

6. What does Tony tell Mr. Mintz about his summer vacation? How does Mr. Mintz use this information to help Tony?

7. How does the boy's interest in the whirligig affect Brent?

8. What does the whale whirligig represent to Grandma?

9. Where does the drive take Jenny and Grandma?

10. As Brent steps into the hostel's dining hall, he sees a bearded man playing a concertina for the guests. Why does Brent admire this man? What is Brent thinking as he watches the bearded man entertain?

(see the answer keys)

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