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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. Why is Jamal tempted to join the gang?

2. When is the only time Jamal see his father?

3. What emotion does Jamal feel whenever he has the gun?

4. How old was Willie when Randy was arrested?

5. Who signals to Jamal before his second fight with Dwayne?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Jamal want for Christmas?

2. What kind of things do Jamal and Tito do together?

3. How long was Randy sentenced to jail, and what does Jamal think of this?

4. Why does Miss Brown want Jamal to stay after school one day?

5. Why did Randy get a longer sentence than the other two people involved in the same crime?

6. What is Jamal asked to do when he helps paint the sets, and how does he feel about this?

7. Who does Randy want Jamal to talk to, and how does Mama feel about this?

8. How does Mama plan to raise the money she says she needs at the beginning of the book?

9. Why does Jamal not want to be like his brother?

10. In Chapter 5, what does Mack say Randy told him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jamal saw the men in his life making his mother cry, and promised himself to never do the same thing. How did Jamal go about keeping this promise, and how did this shape the course of the plot?

Essay Topic 2

Despair was a theme that was placed in a number of sensitive places in this plot. What are some of these places, and what role did despair play in this book?

Essay Topic 3

Personal identity was one of the main themes in this book. Where did this theme appear, and how did its inclusion in the novel shape the course of the plot?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 656 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample