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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What activity did Codell have the class do to learn about medieval history.
(a) Make a castle out of marshmallows.
(b) Make a diagram of all the parts of a knight's armor.
(c) Read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and act out some of the stories.
(d) Have a mock jousting tournament.

2. What kind of school did Esme transfer to after the school of her first year of teaching?
(a) A technical trade college.
(b) A black, inner-city school.
(c) A white, suburban school.
(d) A suburban school with mostly minorities.

3. What does Jim Trelease blame for poor reading scores in "a certain western state"?
(a) Inner-city crime.
(b) Lack of library funding.
(c) Lazy teachers.
(d) Lazy students.

4. What is the stated purpose of the "educational chiropractor" early in Part III?
(a) To "align" the teachers' curriculum.
(b) To "massage" the teachers' union into agreeing to lesser pay.
(c) To "straighten out" the student body.
(d) To "work out the kinks" in school rules.

5. In Codell's reading group method, what role does the "discussion director" play?
(a) Guessing what comes next in the plot of the book.
(b) Reading passages out loud.
(c) Defining difficult words in the text.
(d) Making questions up about the book.

6. What organization gives a teaching award to Codell, as described in the April 7 entry?
(a) The National Teachers' Association.
(b) The American Organization for Teaching Excellence.
(c) American Civil Liberties Union.
(d) Chicago Area Reading Association.

7. How long after the events in the journal does Codell write her Epilogue?
(a) Three years.
(b) Twelve years.
(c) Three weeks.
(d) Two months.

8. Of her thirty-one students, how many graduate from middle school at the ceremony Codell witnesses?
(a) Twenty-five.
(b) Sixteen.
(c) Four.
(d) Thirty-one.

9. Which student does Codell want as her little sister?
(a) Vanessa.
(b) Asha.
(c) Samantha.
(d) Esther.

10. What is one of the songs Codell hears in her mind when Mr. Turner is frustrating her?
(a) "Perpetuum Mobile" by Novacek.
(b) "Control Yourself" by Jackie and Roy Kral.
(c) "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones.
(d) "Nothing from Nothing" by Billy Preston.

11. What best describes Codell's approach to disciplining children?
(a) Teachers should only do mild disciplining; principals should handle true problem children.
(b) The bulk of a teachers' efforts should be put toward discipline.
(c) Codell longs for the days in which teachers could physically discipline students, because it was so effective.
(d) Teachers should do little to no disciplining; disciplining stifles creativity.

12. Who is Codell especially impressed with, in respect to his or her stitching skills?
(a) Ashworth.
(b) Ruben.
(c) Zykrecia.
(d) Vanessa.

13. What conflict resolution does Kyle agree to with Zykrecia?
(a) Kyle will bring her lunch for a week.
(b) Kyle agrees to return the pencil he stole.
(c) Kyle agrees to never speak to Zykrecia again.
(d) Kyle agrees to bake her a cupcake for her upcoming birthday.

14. According to Codell, what is "education's best-kept secret"?
(a) A sticker award system will make fifth-graders more motivated to learn than anything else.
(b) Principals do absolutely nothing to help teachers.
(c) Teachers being personally invested in their teaching methods make them accountable.
(d) If parents were more involved in teaching, it would actually make things worse.

15. Who draws muscle men in his journal?
(a) Ozzie.
(b) Billy Williams.
(c) Ashworth.
(d) Ruben.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which child is especially shy about being a storyteller?

2. What is the plot of the story "The Pudding Like the Night on the Sea"?

3. Why is Codell impressed with her students when they have a field trip to the Historical Society?

4. Why does B. B. sleep over at Codell's apartment one night?

5. What does Codell tell B. B., which she later apologizes for?

(see the answer keys)

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