View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator give the beggar the second Thanksgiving he comes along in "Christmas Means Giving"?

2. What is Jim Timothy's title?

3. What does the narrator build so he won't be outdone by the Cottinghams?

4. Jim Timothy says the best stories are what?

5. What body part does Doug Cottingham donate first?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens one Thanksgiving when a beggar knocks on the narrator's door in "Christmas Means Giving"?

2. What does Thaddeus Bristol see as the irony in the Christmas pageants he critiques?

3. What happens when the Cottingham family move into next door to the narrator in "Christmas Means Giving"?

4. What is Jim Timothy's definition of Art?

5. How does Jim Timothy's studio gain the rights to real life stories?

6. What is the premise of "A Reindeer's Gift"?

7. What does the narrator discover happens to his sons after he gives them to the beggar?

8. What does Thaddeus Bristol conclude about parental encouragement?

9. What does Thaddeus Bristol see as the flaws in "A Reindeer's Gift" at Scottsfield Elementary?

10. What does Jim Timothy offer the members of the congregation if they help him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the elements of satire used throughout the story collection.

Essay Topic 2

What is the moral ambiguity demonstrated in "Based Upon A True Story"? How does Jim Timothy represent the gray areas of the modern entertainment media?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the irony of the situation for the following characters: Jocelyn Dunbar, young David Sedaris and Jim Timothy.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 790 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample