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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 the man doing in the dumpster?

2. What do the boys realize about the man?

3. What did Jake find in the refrigerator when he was in fourth grade?

4. What happened to Thorbert after Skelly gave him the nickname?

5. Skelly decided Jake was ____________.

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Skelly embarrass Jake during the sleepover?

2. How did Jake react to the humiliation he felt after the sleepover?

3. What happened when Jake had breakfast in the restaurant with Skelly and his mom?

4. What happens when Jake's mom tries to give him a "normal" life?

5. What did Jake think about his name?

6. How did Skelly's nickname for Thorbert change him?

7. Who taught Jake about working with wood, and what did he learn?

8. Why was Jake living with his grandfather?

9. How does Jake respond to Skelly when he has friends over?

10. What disease did Skelly get, and how did it affect him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the term "flashback." Describe how the author used a flashback to introduce the reader to Skelly and Jake.

Essay Topic 2

How does Jake see the stages of Alzheimer's? Describe Skelly's progression through the stages, backing up each stage with specifics from the book.

Essay Topic 3

Why does Jake connect so much with "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck? How does it remind him of his own life?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 529 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample