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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. In the annual Christmas pageant, children in intermediate grades have traditionally taken which roles?
(a) Shepherds.
(b) Donkeys.
(c) Angels.
(d) Wise Men.

2. What item from Charlie's lunch does Leroy keep stealing?
(a) Dessert.
(b) Milk.
(c) Fruit.
(d) Sandwich.

3. The narrator states that on the first Sunday the Herdmans came to Sunday School, they did not sing or say prayers. What activity does she say she knows the Herdmans had done, however?
(a) She knows that they made some money.
(b) She knows that they hurt some people.
(c) She knows that they did not feel sorry.
(d) She knows that they learned something.

4. The narrator states that her friend Alice had what kind of hands by age four?
(a) Arthritic hands.
(b) Detergent hands.
(c) Fidgety hands.
(d) Worried hands.

5. Father jokes that he had attended the pageant the year discussed by the narrator only to see what?
(a) Charlie as an angel.
(b) His bag of flour playing baby Jesus.
(c) Charlie as Joseph.
(d) His own bathrobe in the pageant.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator say is "the only unexpected thing that every happened to" (17) the pageant?

2. The narrator describes the traditional Christmas pageant prior to this year as "people shuffling around" (17) the stage wearing all but which of the following items?

3. How many children are in the Herdman family?

4. What is NOT listed among the activities performed by the Sunday School children when they attend church services?

5. Everyone not given a major part in the Christmas pageant takes on what role?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what purpose does the author go out of her way to portray the Herdman children as unteachable?

2. Describe several aspects of the Christmas pageant, as it had been presented every year before the events described in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

3. For what reason do the Herdman siblings believe they have found evidence proving Charlie's promises of food at church to be valid?

4. What connection does the narrator make between the Herdman siblings and the movies?

5. What do poison ivy and rocks symbolize within the narrative?

6. What evidence does the narrator provide for her conclusion that it is Charlie's fault that the Herdmans get involved in the Christmas pageant?

7. For what purpose does the author use the allusion to "a day of rest" (21) in Chapter Two?

8. What simile does the narrator use to describe the way in which the Herdman children move through Woodrow Wilson School?

9. What does Father say about the burning down of Fred Schneider's toolhouse?

10. What evidence is presented in Chapter One regarding the dire nature of the Herdman family's financial situation?

(see the answer keys)

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