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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. Who do Bob's and G.'s mother decide are not worth bothering about?

2. What does G.'s mother say about everything that displeases her?

3. Who does the headmaster put to the back of his mind as being too big and important to deal with yet, after he has seen the contents of the envelope?

4. What makes the drinking water give G. a belly ache?

5. Who does Ma tell Pa that he sees salvation in?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does G. feel guilty upon the death of his pigeon?

2. What is Mr. Slime's plan for the people of Barbados as described by Pa?

3. Why does the landlord say he may sell the land?

4. The shoemaker makes a little speech in Chapter 5 to the men he is standing with as they watch the villagers buy food from the cart. What is the point of his speech?

5. In the beginning of Chapter 6, G. sees birds such as blackbirds, sparrows and doves. Which birds does he note are the most common victims of the human's traps? How are they compared to the doves?

6. Why is it that Ma doesn't believe that Pa should be comparing Mr. Slime to Moses?

7. How does the Foster family cope with the flood?

8. There are people known as "poor whites" on the island. What is their lot in life?

9. In what way does Pa compare Mr. Slime to Moses?

10. When Bob tells G. that he wants to take different routes to the sea, he tells him not to run so that they can decide which route is really the quickest. When G. hesitates and then runs after Bob, what does their ultimate interaction represent?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the story of Bambi, Bambini and Bots end up fighting furiously over Bambi's dead body. Things are fine until the English woman tells Bambi he has to be married to one of them. When he marries Bots, things begin to go downhill for Bambi. How can this story be a parable for Barbados and England?

Essay Topic 2

The overseer tries to disrupt the open-air meeting to "arrest" the boys in Chapter 7.

Who does the overseer really represent?

Why does the author have the boys "saved" by the preacher?

Consider the role of religion in the village when you form you answers.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the book, G. gets a strange feeling when something is ending or when he knows he will not see someone again. Discuss how wrapping the pebble in a grape leaf helps him cope with this feeling. What is going on in his life when he does this?

(see the answer keys)

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