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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. When Monica wakes up in the morning, where has her rash spread to?

2. On page 33, when Tamaya tells Chad to leave Marshall alone, what does Chad say to Tamaya?

3. About how long before the action of the novel starts was the Senate hearing on SunRay Farms held?

4. Why does Tamaya wake up at 7:08 every morning?

5. Why does Mr. Brandt call Marshall up to the front of the class?

Short Essay Questions

1. When he is lying away on the night after Chad's attack, what does Marshall decide is his best hope for a final ending to the situation with Chad?

2. When he is lying awake on the night after Chad's attack, what two possible endings does Marshall imagine for a scenario where he tries to defend Tamaya from Chad?

3. What is Tamaya's attitude toward following rules?

4. What offer does Tamaya make to Marshall on their walk to school in Chapter 12, and why does she think his response is not very honest?

5. When Ms. Filbert was assigning the reports about presidents, how did her behavior contradict her words?

6. Describe how Marshall's attitude toward Tamaya has changed over the years.

7. What does Tamaya and her mother's nighttime routine communicate about their relationship?

8. Describe Tamaya's relationship with her parents.

9. Describe the changes that occur in Tamaya's rash overnight in Chapter 12.

10. What does Tamaya rub in Chad's face, and how does Chad react?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What message is conveyed through the contrast in settings in this text? Choose two settings and write an essay that compares and contrasts them and then makes a claim about what ideas are being transmitted by these similarities and differences. As you structure this essay, think about whether you want to write all about one setting and then all about the other, or whether you want to discuss similarities in one part of the essay and differences in a separate part of the essay. In either case, end your essay with a paragraph that shows what point Sachar is trying to make by creating these two separate settings. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the text, and remember that if you use quoted evidence, this should be cited in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

How do the realistic setting, characters, and plot of Fuzzy Mud all interact to keep the reader engaged in the story? Why does it matter that the story is set in ordinary places like a school, the woods, and students' homes? How do the thoughts and feelings of the ordinary children in this story help the reader bond with them? How does this bond increase the reader's engagement? In what ways is the plot realistic, and why does it matter that these things could really happen? Write an essay that uses evidence drawn from plot, characterization, and setting to show the many ways in which Fuzzy Mud is realistic and how Sachar's use of realism keeps the reader engaged.

Essay Topic 3

What message about courage does Fuzzy Mud convey? How do various characters display--or fail to display--the kind of courage this book is talking about? What are the consequences of these choices? Do any characters grow and change in their ability to display courage? What relationship is there between the messages the text sends about courage and the two words on the Woodridge uniform? Does the text propose that people who strongly believe in virtue will automatically have courage, or are these two separate goals that people need to work toward? Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about how the text defines courage and how characterization, plot, and textual details work together to support this definition.

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