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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 are the other three guys in the restaurant eating as Adam sits alone with his meal?

2. What does the man on the telephone say to Adam when he calls his number?

3. When the boy was a child, he was teased for having his stuffed animal - Pokey the ________.

4. Brint tells Adam to __________ and let the thoughts from his memory come, but this doesn't work.

5. Where does Adam think about leaving his bike in order to keep it safe and sound?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Adam tries to call Amy from his bike journey in Carver?

2. What is Adam relieved to see about the long, level, and straight road before him when he is on his bike?

3. Who are the other customers in the restaurant where Adam is sitting and eating clam chowder?

4. What is Adam planning to do in the morning when he awakens at the beginning of this section?

5. What does Adam discover in his father's desk when he steals a key to open up the drawer?

6. What is the condition of the road when Adam continues on his journey from Carver to see his dad?

7. What does Adam discover about his bike when the section begins and the bike journey continues?

8. What is so special about Benton Falls, the place where Adam decides to spend the night as he continues his bike journey?

9. Why does Adam reach out to Amy with a phone call during his bike journey?

10. What does the old maintenance man always do, according to the narrative?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

It's fascinating to see an author use a very dark subject in order to tell a story for young adults.

Part 1: Do you think this story is realistic in its content? Why or why not?

Part 2: Do you think children should be sheltered from dark news and ideas? Why or why not?

Part 3: Do you think younger readers can benefit from this story? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 2

Paul refers to his medication at various points of the story, pointing to some sort of mental disorder.

Part 1: What kind of medication do you think Paul might be taking?

Part 2: Why doesn't Paul want to take his medication at the start of the story? Does this seem to be a wise decision? Why or why not?

Part 3: How might the story have been different had Paul taken his medication?

Essay Topic 3

At many times, the family seems to try to cling to normalcy in the flashbacks, even though things are far from normal.

Part 1: Why do you think the family continues to try to be normal?

Part 2: Do you think Adam knows on some level that things weren't actually as normal as they appeared? Why or why not?

Part 3: What might be a negative outcome of pretending that all is well when it actually isn't?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 703 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample