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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. Who stops by the next day to marvel at the work the kids have done in Chapter 32?

2. In Chapter 29, the week is tense for Ronnie and Will because it is nearly time for Will to do what?

3. In Chapter 30, the narrator states that Steve learned when that he was dying?

4. Who joins Ronnie and tells Ronnie how much this visit from her and Jonah has meant to their father in Chapter 31?

5. Who was set up for causing the fire that burned down Pastor Harris' church in the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Will do in order to help Blaze in Chapter 28?

2. What does Will do after leaving the hospital in Chapter 28? What confrontations does he have?

3. What interaction does Ronnie have with Blaze in Chapter 26? What concerns Ronnie?

4. Why does Ronnie refuse Will's offer to stay in Chapter 32? What do they discover Jonah doing?

5. How does Will perform in the volleyball tournament in Chapter 28? What distraction takes Will out of the game?

6. Why is Scott pressuring Will in Chapter 18? Why does Will succumb to this pressure?

7. What confrontation does Scott have with Will in Chapter 18? How does Ronnie interrupt the conversation?

8. What does Will reveal about the fire at Pastor Harris' church in Chapter 32? What is Ronnie's response?

9. Who comes to the aid of Ronnie and Jonah while their father is in the hospital in Chapter 31? How?

10. What argument takes place between Ronnie and Kim in Chapter 33? What does Ronnie discover?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the impact of Steve's cancer on his family. Why did Steve choose to hide his illness? What are Ronnie's and Jonah's reactions upon hearing their father is dying? What kind of cancer does Steve have? Where has the cancer spread? Why are there no treatment options to help Steve?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss childhood development and emotional detachment as they apply to the novel. How are Steve's parents described in the narrative, and what effect did they have on him? What did Steve struggle with in his marriage to Kim? How is childhood development and detachment applicable to Ronnie and Jonah?

Essay Topic 3

Identify and analyze the elements of religious allusion in the novel. What is the significance of Pastor Harris' church? How does Ronnie feel about Christianity and God? What amends does Steve hope to attain with God? Why?

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