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 dessert does Laura give Irwin in exchange for guessing a secret in Book One?

2. What nickname does Everett give the Psalms in Boot Two?

3. In Book One, which guest on The Ed Sullivan Show is liked by Laura and Irwin?

4. How does Everett earn his first high school suspension?

5. Why does Hugh get discharged honorably from the army four months early?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is revealed about the role that Everett and Irwin play within the Chance family during their conversations at the hedge in Book Two?

2. Why does Irwin cuss around Everett?

3. How did Papa lose his thumb?

4. What political figure does Kincaid compare Laura and "her Bible" to in Book Three and why?

5. As the Chance boys watch their father practice pitching and working against his handicap, what do they learn?

6. What freedom does Laura grant Peter, Everett, and Kincaid after the Psalm War in Book Three?

7. According to Kincaid in Book One, what causes Papa to start up smoking again after he had quit?

8. What is Peter's opinion on miracles?

9. What do the boys make a pact to pray for at the end of Book Two?

10. What did Hugh wear while practicing pitching in the shed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the novel there are several figures that could serve as the archetypal "hero" figure. Using specific examples from the text, identify one character that could be considered a hero archetype and describe how Duncan demonstrates this in the novel. Be sure to discuss whether or not Duncan is effective. Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Early on in the novel, Duncan describes a tenuous relationship between Hugh and Laura; however, later, he utilizes a flashback to describe the courtship and early period of their marriage as being quite different. What does this deliberate timeline established by Duncan suggest to the reader about the marriage between Laura and Hugh, what it is based upon, and how it functions? Use specific events from the text to back up your assertions.

Essay Topic 3

Duncan utilizes the literary device of hyperbole extensively throughout The Brothers K. Using at least three textual examples, describe how Duncan uses hyperbole, how it contributes to characterizations or pacing, and whether or not it is effective.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 917 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample