View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What caused the scars on the backs of Ryan's legs?

2. How many winners are there in the final of the Met's young singers' competition?

3. What did one of the kind workers at the juvenile detention center do for Ryan that helped him?

4. How does Valerie meet Cecil, Ryan's father?

5. In their last practice session before the Met competition final in Chapter 7, what does the conductor tell Ryan he is doing wrong?

Short Essay Questions

1. What law that Dr. DeJarnette was instrumental in passing was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1960s?

2. What is the incident that leads to Ryan's time in the juvenile detention center when he is 12 years old?

3. What is the main reason Ryan has asked people to call him "Speedo" at different points in his life?

4. Why does Valerie still seem bitter about the way Cecil proposed to her?

5. How does Ryan feel after he gives his father Cecil a tour of the Met in Chapter 7?

6. In Chapter 3, what problem does Camille Labarre have with Michelle's first dress that she chooses to perform in for the Met Competition?

7. What does Ryan remember his brother Adrian being really good at as a child, and why was the effect of Adrian's talent on their lives?

8. In Chapter 5, what is the conductor, Patrick Summers, worried there might be too much of an emphasis on in opera these days?

9. In Chapter 7, what is Ryan worried is contributing to his difficulties with Italian pronunciation?

10. In Chapter 5, what does Bernger note about the appearance of the three women who were picked for the Met's young singers' competition final round?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mrs. Bette Hughes, a teacher of Ryan's from elementary school, has a very significant impact on Ryan's life. Write an essay discussing Mrs. Hughes's significance in Ryan's life.

Essay Topic 2

After he leaves the DeJarnette Center, Ryan joins the Latin club, befriends a while classmate named Jared Poulter, and generally tries to integrate himself into the white mainstream of his school. Write an essay analyzing why he takes these actions and what he hopes to gain from his actions.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing how Ryan's behavior in the DeJarnette Center is related to the problems he was experiencing with his mother Valerie at the time, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 912 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample