View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does a bully steal from Marcus in Chapter 27?

2. Why does Will feel he cannot help Fiona?

3. What makes Ellie cry in Chapter 29?

4. Who does Will see when he is driving around in Chapter 20?

5. Who is Marcus forced to visit with in Chapter 19?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Will confess to Rachel in Chapter 28?

2. What do Will and Fiona discuss over a drink in Chapter 18?

3. How does Marcus defend his visits to Will's house in Chapter 17?

4. How do Ellie and Zoe react in Chapter 21 when Marcus tells them that he knows Ellie was lying to him before?

5. How does Fiona react when she finds out about Marcus' visits to Will's house?

6. Describe the Christmas dinner in Chapter 22.

7. Who is Rachel?

8. Why does Marcus run out of the house in Chapter 26?

9. Why does Fiona suggest that Marcus visit his father? What makes Marcus agree to go?

10. What shocks Marcus' classmates in Chapter 21?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of family in the novel "About a Boy". Describe both Marcus' and Will's family. Is family important to Marcus? What does Marcus realize about family by the end of the novel? Why is this realization important for his character?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the character Will. Who is Will and what are his defining character traits? How does he influence the life of the other protagonist, Marcus? Is he a good friend? How does he grow as a character by the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss depression and suicide as depicted in the novel "About a Boy". Why does Fiona attempt suicide? How does her depression and attempted suicide impact Marcus? How is Kurt Cobain's suicide and depression depicted in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 843 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample