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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. How old is the narrator?

3. Grandma takes Mary Alice directly where?

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

5. What does Grandma do with the sliced food?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Grandma trick Mildred? What does this reveal about her?

4. What is a main reason for why Mary Alice does not want to move in with her grandmother? Why might she feel this way?

5. Where does Mary Alice go directly after arriving in town? What is happening there when Mary Alice arrives?

6. What is theme is strong in this section? Support your response with information from this section.

7. How does Grandma handle these pranksters?

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

9. How does Mildred go about attempting to collect the dollar from Mary Alice? What does this reveal about Mildred?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Grandma lives in a small hick town.

Part 1) Describe this small town and its inhabitants. Why does Mary Alice think she will not like this town? In the end, does Mary Alice end up liking the town? Why or why not?

Part 2) What does this town reveal about Americans throughout the country during the 1930s? What aspects of this town are universal and could represent many towns throughout the U.S.?

Part 3) How does this town compare to your own? How have Americans changed since the 1930s? How have they stayed the same? What are possible causes of these similarities and differences?

(see the answer keys)

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