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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. How old is the narrator of "Diamonds"

2. What does Dympna do for a living?

3. How did the knees of Eli's suit get stained?

4. What does Doran tell Eli about his life that Eli says he doubts is true?

5. Why does Arm not run for the car when Paudi pulls out his rifle?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Arm finally gets what he wants from Maire Mirkin, what is ironic about the situation?

2. What does Paudi do to Dympna, and what is Arm's reaction?

3. In the years since their band broke up, how have Eli and Doran's lives differed?

4. Why does the narrator of "Diamonds" need to rely on his former school principal once he is in Glanbeigh?

5. What happened on the band's tour that caused Doran to leave the band?

6. What is Arm's attitude toward his son?

7. What evidence is there that the narrator in "Diamonds" is determined to overcome his alcohol abuse?

8. Who is Siobhán Maher, and how does she recognize the narrator of "Diamonds"?

9. What motives for helping him does the narrator of "Diamonds" ascribe to his former principal?

10. What made Eli and Maryanne's marriage a disaster?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "The Moon," Martina seems scornful toward the town where she was raised and the people who have chosen to remain there. This sentiment is expressed by "leavers" and outsiders in several stories in Young Skins. Do the stories offer any counterclaims from the perspectives of the small-town inhabitants, or do the stories leave this perspective unchallenged? Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about what the stories seem to be saying about the value of staying in an environment like Glanbeigh. Use evidence from "The Moon" and at least two other stories to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Loyalty to and support of family is an important cultural value in rural Ireland. But in Young Skins, not all "family" is biological. Write an essay that compares and contrasts the "found families" and the "biological families" in the anthology and makes a claim about the thematic significance of the similarities and differences between them. Use evidence from throughout the anthology to defend your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

What is the real fascination that Tug has with the missing Clancy child? Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about the symbolic significance of this missing child. Use textual evidence to defend your ideas.

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