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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why doesn't Ellen tell anyone about her problems with her father?
(a) She didn't care about her problems.
(b) She didn't have any problems.
(c) She was scared and untrusting.
(d) She was worried she'd get in trouble.

2. Who does Ellen tell the teacher she wants to live with when the teacher asks Ellen to call someone to pick her up?
(a) Aunt Nadine.
(b) Her father.
(c) Aunt Betsy.
(d) Starletta's family.

3. Where does Ellen tell her father to sleep when he passes out in the bathroom?
(a) Outside.
(b) In the bed.
(c) In his automobile.
(d) In the bathroom.

4. What has Ellen's mother's absence forced Ellen to obtain for herself?
(a) Friends.
(b) Love.
(c) Food.
(d) Clothes.

5. One day Ellen is given an inkblot test. What does Ellen call the inkblots?
(a) Cats.
(b) Bats.
(c) Mats.
(d) Rats.

Short Answer Questions

1. What present does Ellen receive from Starletta's family?

2. A drive through what part of town is necessary to reach the location where the funeral service is being held?

3. What organization does Ellen join to curb her boredom in the winter?

4. Ellen's family attends a funeral for what character?

5. What happens to Ellen when she eats the same thing as her friend's family?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the funeral, why does Ellen avoid looking at her mother's grave?

2. How does the author create a reversal of the mother-daughter role in the novel?

3. How is Ellen's obsessive side shown in Chapter 6?

4. In what ways does Ellen justify not telling anyone about the circumstances of her mother's death?

5. Why does Ellen have to make sure that she retrieves the envelope of money from the mailbox before her father can get to it?

6. How does Ellen's grandmother cause a scene at the funeral?

7. Why does Ellen choose Starletta's parents when asked by the school board if Ellen has someone to take care of her?

8. Why does Ellen feel that her relatives are phonies?

9. How is the pony's name, Dolphin, a symbol of freedom to Ellen?

10. What are some of the fun and leisure activities Ellen is granted in her new home?

(see the answer keys)

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