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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 game does Joey play with Kneadus and the servants on his first day at Auntie's house?

2. How many individual forms of torture does the narrator believe there are in the world?

3. Who does Joey run into a field with at the end of the novel?

4. What sound do the boys hear as they make their way to the outskirts of the city?

5. Which of the following nursery rhyme characters invades Joey's daydreams while he is in class?

Short Essay Questions

1. What interesting items does Joey find in Zuta's bedroom when he snoops through her belongings?

2. How does Kneadus react when he sees the farmhand he has been searching for working at Auntie's house?

3. How does Mr. Youngblood react to the scene he walks into in Zuta's bedroom while looking for thieves?

4. How does Zuta respond when she realizes Joey is spying on her?

5. What causes the epileptic seizure that frightens the crowd of spectators at the tennis match?

6. What does Joey see when he spies on the Youngblood family as they get ready for the morning in the bathroom?

7. What is the residual effects of the battle between Syphus and Kneadus the day after?

8. How does Mrs. Youngblood react when she realizes that Joey is in love with Zuta?

9. What does the narrator of the novel think about symmetry?

10. Why does Joey alter the fruit compote he is served for dessert with the Youngblood family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator of this novel often interjects his opinions of what is going on and speaks directly to the reading audience. What is accomplished by employing this type of intrusive narrator? What is lost? As a reader, describe your reaction to reading a narrator like this. What did his opinions add to the novel? What did they distract from? Choose at least two examples of scenes from the text that you believe best exemplify and strengthen your argument and describe those scenes in this essay.

Essay Topic 2

One of the most important scenes in the novel is the emotional battle between Kneadus and Syphus. First, describe what the two boys were battling for. Who was involved in this battle? Who was left out of the fight? Then, describe the actual events of the battle. What emotions were thrown onto the table? Which boy was victorious? Finally, describe the after-effects of the battle on each of the boys in the days following the battle.

Essay Topic 3

When Joey is alone with Zuta he has a difficult time communicating with her. Choose at least two scenes in which Joey finds himself unable to physically communicate with Zuta. How does Joey unleash the frustration he feels at his ineptitude? Then, explain how each of these scenes highlights the different levels of maturity and character growth in Joey and Zuta.

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