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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the "regular" fifth-grade language arts teacher at Melody's school?
(a) Miss Gordon.
(b) Mr. Anderson.
(c) Mrs. Tracy.
(d) Mrs. Shannon.

2. What school does Melody's mother enroll her in after meeting with the intelligence specialist in Chapter 4?
(a) Jackson Street Elementary School.
(b) Spaulding Street Elementary School.
(c) Perritt Elementary School.
(d) Pineville Elementary School.

3. Who sings the song "Elvira" that Melody loves?
(a) Tom Waits.
(b) The Oak Ridge Boys.
(c) Johnny Cash.
(d) The Fuller Brothers.

4. For how long does Melody have a pet goldfish before it dies?
(a) 2 months.
(b) 1 year.
(c) 2 years.
(d) 6 months.

5. What is Melody's favorite cartoon from the newspaper?
(a) The Far Side.
(b) Hagar the Horrible.
(c) Family Circle.
(d) Garfield.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Melody describe Penny being obsessed with in Chapter 10?

2. What new device does Melody receive before she starts fifth grade in Chapter 11?

3. How old was Melody when her mother had gotten her potty trained?

4. The narrator says in Chapter 1, "Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes--each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands." What literary device is used in this sentence?

5. What language has Melody attained a grasp of by watching television?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Mrs. V described in Chapter 6? How does Melody know Mrs. V?

2. How is the character of Catherine introduced in Chapter 12? What are Melody's first impressions of Catherine?

3. How does Mrs. Brooks respond to Dr. Hugely's assessment of Melody in Chapter 4?

4. What are "photographic memory" and "synesthesia"? How do these terms apply to Melody in the novel?

5. How does Melody describe her communication with her father in Chapter 10?

6. What are Melody's thoughts about Mrs. Billups? What grade does Mrs. Billups teach?

7. Who is Ollie? How does Melody describe Ollie's death in Chapter 8?

8. What kind of dog is Butterscotch? How does Melody describe Butterscotch?

9. How have Melody's circumstances changed as she enters fifth grade in Chapter 11?

10. How does Melody's household change after her mother gives birth to Penny?

(see the answer keys)

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