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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 the DAR?

2. The man was sent by the government as part of the ________________ administration's ambitious public works project.

3. There are rumors of trying to do what to Arnold?

4. Why is the answer to number 113 a problem?

5. The town seems to come down on whose side, regarding this event?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Grandma initially respond to Mrs. Weidenbach's request? Why?

2. Why does Mrs. Weidenbach ask for Grandma's help? Why is this surprising?

3. Who is the strange man who comes calling? Why?

4. How has Mary Alice's relationship with the other girls changed? In what ways has it stayed the same?

5. What does Bootsie bring back to Mary Alice? Why might he do this?

6. What is Grandma's final surprise for Mary Alice? What does this reinforce about Grandma?

7. What is another way that Grandma surprises Mary Alice during this holiday season? How is this surprise important?

8. How does Mary Alice finally take a chance and ask Royce over to visit? How does Grandma feel about this? Why?

9. Why does Grandma change her mind regarding Mrs. Weidenbach's request?

10. How do Ina-Rae and Mary Alice get back at Carleen? Why do they do it in this way?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A tornado hits the town.

Part 1) Describe the events surrounding the tornado. How did this tornado affect the citizens of this town? Why did the author have a tornado touch down in this town? What is revealed through this natural disaster?

Part 2) What other major events take place in this story? How are these events important? How do they affect the plot and the characters?

Part 3) What events have been significant in your own life? How have these events affected you? How do these events compare to the events in this story?

Essay Topic 2

The first section begins a pattern that repeats throughout the rest of the book.

Part 1) What is this pattern? How is this pattern significant? What theme does this pattern support? What characters does this pattern and theme affect? How are they affected?

Part 2) How is this pattern and theme relevant to your own life? How can you relate to the characters in this book through this theme?

Part 3) What is another book you have read or story you have heard that has this same theme? Is this a universal theme? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The Christmas season brings many surprises.

Part 1) What are the Christmas season surprises? How does each surprise come about? How are these surprises significant to the plot and/or character development?

Part 2) How is surprise an important aspect of this book? What other surprises take place throughout this book? What are the purposes of all these surprises? How are various characters change by the surprises in this story?

Part 3) What surprises have been significant in your own life? How have you been changed by surprise events? How can you relate to the characters in this book, regarding surprising events?

(see the answer keys)

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