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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. Where is the park where Claude starts running away to?

2. In "Bubbly and Nugget," how old is Claude?

3. Where does Annette go when she leaves Janice behind in Chicago?

4. Where did the Billings move after their twins graduated from private schools?

5. In "Riot," when Janice and Annette take shelter at Grandma and Paul's place, how many bottles of wine does Paul open?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Grandma get Claude to stop crying?

2. Where did Claude's father grow up?

3. Who is Chester Dexter?

4. What happens when Claude identifies George Bones as the person who beat him up?

5. What was Nugget's life like?

6. In "Euclid Avenue," what does Claude remember about the man who fought with his dad?

7. What does Claude remember from Euclid Avenue?

8. In "Riot," what does Claude remember about a patrolman he sees standing in combat gear?

9. Why does Claude want to leave in "Vacuum," and what does Janice tell him?

10. What problems is Claude having in "Cookout"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Annette goes to California and leaves Janice behind. Why does Annette leave Chicago? Why does she leave Janice behind? Does she abandon Janice?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses historical details in the novel. How does the author use historical details in the book? How do the details that the author uses in the book about Chicago imitate events from real life?

Essay Topic 3

In the novel, some characters are more thoroughly described than others. Who are some characters that are merely named in passing or have a minor role in the novel? What is the importance of these flat characters to the storyline? In what way do these characters make the main characters more colorful or interesting? When there is conflict, what type of role do these flat characters play?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 851 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample