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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. Wordlessly, Grandma stews up some _______ on the stove.

2. Where does Grandma make Bootsie live?

3. Mrs. Pensinger comes back for seconds on what?

4. To where does Mildred follow Mary Alice?

5. It is revealed that a major reason for having the shoot at the Abernathy farm is do what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Grandma get back at Old Man Nyquist? Should she have done this? Why or why not?

2. How can Mary Alice now find out who the pranksters were?

3. What is burgoo stew? How might this represent life during the Great Depression?

4. How has Bootsie changed since he moved in with Grandma? What has led to this change?

5. What does Mary Alice bring to Grandma's house? Why does she bring this?

6. What happens to Bootsie one night? Why does this happen?

7. What does Grandma do when she arrives at the Pensingers' residence? Why does she do this?

8. How does Grandma defeat Mildred, the bully? What lesson does this teach Mary Alice?

9. How does Old Man Nyquist upset Grandma?

10. What does Grandma do instead of participating in the sharpshooting competition? Why might she do this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Grandma is a unique character.

Part 1) Describe your initial thoughts about Grandma. How did your opinion of her change by the end of the book? Why did your opinion change?

Part 2) What issues does Grandma's behavior bring up? What is her opinion of these issues? Why? How does your opinion compare to hers? Are your beliefs questioned by reading this book? Why or why not?

Part 3) What would the world be like if more people were like Grandma? Would this be a better place? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

A "dangerous man" arrives in town.

Part 1) Who is this man? Describe him and the reason he is in town. Why might people of this town consider him dangerous? How do these fears affect the way they treat him? How does Grandma take advantage of this? Why does she do this?

Part 2) Describe the event that leads the citizens of this town to like him even less? Is he to blame for this surprising and shocking incident? Why or why not? Why does the town see him as guilty?

Part 3) How does Grandma help to turn the town's opinion around regarding this man? Why does she want to help him? What does this turn-around reinforce about this town?

Essay Topic 3

After arriving in town, Mary Alice is directly taken to high school.

Part 1) Describe Mary Alice's high school experience. How does it compare to your own school experiences? How was school in the 1930s like school today? How was it different?

Part 2) How does school become an important place for Mary Alice? How is she changed by her experiences at this school? Are these changes good or bad? Why?

Part 3) How have your school experiences changed you? Do you believe attending school is an important part of one's childhood? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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