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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. What is JB doing while Josh tries to talk to him in "Conversation"?

2. What does Josh describe eating for lunch in "JB and I"?

3. What does JB throw to Josh in "He Probably"?

4. What word in the poem "Filthy McNasty" is extended downward on the page?

5. What does the coach tell the team they need to work on in "At Practice"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Crystal Bell make her husband sit in the top row of the bleachers during basketball games?

2. What are some examples of stylistic choices made by the author in the poem "Dribbling"?

3. What literary device stand out the most in the poem "Showoff"? What are examples?

4. What conflict is described in "On the Way to the Game"?

5. Why does Josh lie to his father in "35-18"?

6. How does Josh define "irony" in "Ironic"? How does he apply irony to his life?

7. What is the meaning of the title to the poem "Second-Person"?

8. Who is Josh Bell and what role does he play in "The Crossover"?

9. Why does Josh pretend to be JB on the phone when Alexis first calls? What do Josh and Alexis talk about?

10. Why does Josh suggest his father write a book in "Conversation"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of basketball in The Crossover. What correlations does the author make between basketball and life? How is this motif related to the themes of the verse novel?

Essay Topic 2

What is the meaning of the title of The Crossover? How does Josh define "crossover" in the narrative? How does this term apply both to basketball and to life?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the character of Josh Bell in The Crossover. How old is Josh? What are his likes and dislikes? What relationships does Josh form and/or share with the other characters in the story?

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This section contains 754 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample