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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 defends Muncie before Nyle has the chance to do so?

2. What does Ezra call Nyle?

3. What does Mr. Sobel tell the students?

4. What surprises Nyle when she goes to give Ezra a lesson on sheep farming?

5. What does Nyla decide is one of the things she needs to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What adds to the tension between the Muncie and Nyle?

2. What does Mrs. Haskins assign her students to do and do you think this is mixing education with politics?

3. What do the girls do in Radio Shack and why is that ironic?

4. How does the emotion of anger appear in this chapter?

5. What are the girls studying in their English class that is a major theme of this book?

6. Describe Nyle and Muncie's encounter with Ripley and what you think the encounter may foreshadow.

7. What does Nyle ask her Gran about sheep farming and what is Gran's response? Does Nyle's response surprise you?

8. What emotion do you think Muncie is feeling as she inquires why Nyle did not come study with her the night before?

9. Ten days after the accident, what does the Principal announce and what do you think your response would be?

10. What happens that demonstrates one minor theme in this book--that is, not accepting people for who they are?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The contrast between Mrs. Trent's (and Ezra's as well) background and that of the sheep farmers is obvious in this chapter when Nyle notices several contrasts between her and Mrs. Trent. Answer the following questions by writing a cohesive essay using specific examples and details to illustrate your stance.

1. What are the contrast that Nyle notices?

2. Do you think Mrs. Trent feels the contrast as greatly as Nyle does? Why or why not?

3. What do you think a possible theme suggested by the scene when Nyle notices her hands compared to Mrs. Trent's? Can you find threads of this theme elsewhere?

Essay Topic 2

In chapter 4, the girls are reading in their English class is about death. Muncie asks Nyle if she thinks the refugees should have left the mountain or not. The two girls differ in their opinion. Perhaps it is this difference of opinion that compels Nyle to not "dare" tell Muncie about Ezra. Answer the following questions by writing a cohesive essay using specific examples and details to illustrate your stance.

1. Many people seem to think they can "catch" radiation poisoning from people who have it. Can they? Or is this just an excuse to not deal with something that most people would want to forget?

2. Up until now, it is easy to blame Nyle more than Muncie for the rift in their friendship, but do you think Muncie's attitude justifies Nyle's hesitation? Or do you think Muncie would "deal with it?"

3. Do you think it is realistic to think the people on the mountain would have stayed there and suffered certain, horrible death? Would you be willing to have strangers in your home who may be dying from radiation poisoning? Even if it could not affect you physically?

Essay Topic 3

In chapter 11, Ezra says he feels like a phoenix and how good it feels to be alive. Answer the following questions by writing a cohesive essay using specific examples and details to illustrate your stance.

1. What is a phoenix? From what culture does the image of the phoenix come?

2. The image of the phoenix occurs in chapter 12 and chapter 21, both in relation to Ezra. Analyze how the image is used in both places and discuss how you think the phoenix is a good image for Ezra.

3. Knowing that Ezra dies in the end, so in a sense he does not rise from the ashes as a phoenix does, how does that inform the title of this book? How could the symbol of the phoenix apply to Ezra at the end of the book?

(see the answer keys)

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