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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 day of the week does Penny have dinner at Nonny's?

2. What does Frankie want Uncle Dominic to teach him?

3. Which of the following baseball teams do Penny and her Uncle Dominic support?

4. Who lets Mr. Mulligan in when he shows up for dinner?

5. Which of the following is Penny's real first name?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the text in the eleventh chapter of the book, what does Mr. Mulligan do to try to make a good impression on Penny's mother and her family when he stops by to have dinner with them?

2. According to the text in Chapter 3 of the book, how does a large dog interfere with Frankie and Penny's attempt to deliver meat to Mrs. Morelli?

3. Based on the text in the sixth chapter of the book, in what way is Penny's paternal Uncle Nunzio generous to her?

4. Based on the text of Chapters 4 and 5 of the book, how does Me-me try to fix Penny's black lacquer-related hair problems?

5. According to the text in Chapters 4 and 5 of the book, what action by Penny's mother leads Penny to believe that her mother is now in a happier mood than Penny has ever known her to be?

6. According to the text in the first couple of chapters in the book, why does Penny's maternal grandmother, Me-me, do most of the cooking for Penny and her mother?

7. Based on the text in Chapter 10 of the book, how are some of the townspeople aware that Penny's late grandfather Falucci had buried cash somewhere on his property?

8. According to the text in Chapter 9 of the book, what contributes toward Penny storming out of the house on Saturday afternoon when Mr. Mulligan stops by to watch the ball game on television with her?

9. According to the text in Chapters 4 and 5, does Penny have to endure any unwanted physical misfortunes as a result of Pop-pop painting the household furniture with black lacquer?

10. Based on the narrative in Chapter 9 of the book, how does Uncle Dominic try to guide Penny toward resolving her discontent when she runs from her house to him sobbing uncontrollably?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As the story begins, Penny is presented as a character with questions about what Heaven is like. As the story progresses however, it is apparent that she believes that her life will change for the better when she reaches Heaven. In contrast however, she states that she wants to put off death for at least 100 years. Explain how Penny's idea about her eventual enjoyment of Heaven coupled with her idea to put off death for at least 100 years, is illustrative of an antithesis type of literary technique. Support your explanation by citing examples of things that Penny enjoys on Earth, with her visualization of how those same things will be enhanced in Heaven. Then cite the things that she is enjoying on Earth so much, that may be persuading her toward putting off getting to Heaven for at least another 100 years.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the book, there are various sections that detail actions taken by family members on Penny's father's side that are aimed toward both protecting Penny, and providing her with certain material needs in her life. Could those actions be based largely on her father's members perhaps having vowed to take care of Penny at the time of her father's death? Or could their origin be based on their genuine affection and concern toward Penny's well-being? Cite text and/or paraphrase scenarios in support of your position.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the book, two members of Penny's mother's side of the family - namely her mother and her grandfather, Pop-pop, are depicted as conservative type individuals with little if any desire for anything outside the norm of day-to-day existence . As the story progresses however, it becomes evident that both have secret desires for things outside that norm, he for cigars, and she for spending time with Mr. Mulligan. They both resort to using others, such as Connie and Penny to go out and acquire enjoyment with their target desires. Do those actions of theirs convey their lack of honesty toward others or toward themselves? Why or why not? Cite text and/or paraphrase scenarios from the book to support your position.

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