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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 is Yolanda's mother always pestering her to do?

2. How does Andrew seem when Yolanda reaches him at the park?

3. What does Yolanda's Momma find in Andrew's pocket?

4. What is in an illustration that gives Andrew no motivation?

5. What does Shirley mean when she tells Yolanda that it takes one to know one?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Yolanda steer Shirley's interest away from talking about jump roping?

2. What does Yolanda go to the library to research and what does she learn?

3. What does Yolanda tell herself as she is running to Asphalt Hill?

4. Why does Yolanda usually add a comment when she answers a question?

5. What gives Yolanda comfort in her new home?

6. Describe Andrew's encounter with the drug pushers at Asphalt Hill.

7. Why does Momma decide to move from Chicago?

8. Who does Andrew meet when he arrives for his reading lesson?

9. How is Andrew when Yolanda finds him, and what is her reaction?

10. How does Yolanda respond to the cruel comments by the other children on the bus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are a number of interesting questions raised by "Yolonda's Genius"--questions that Fenner may wish readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Fenner's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Fenner's probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

3. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

Essay Topic 2

1. What is foreshadowing? How many incidences of foreshadow are in "Yolonda's Genius"? How does foreshadowing contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadowing in this story, including why you believe it is foreshadowing. Include examples from the book and your own life to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from "Yolonda's Genius" and your own live to support your opinion.

Essay Topic 3

"Yolonda's Genius" belongs to the teen fiction genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the teen fiction genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between a teen fiction and teen historical fiction?

(see the answer keys)

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