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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. In what month did adult Elwood always attend the New York City marathon?

2. How old was Harper at the time of Elwood's incarceration at Nickel?

3. What name did Elwood decide to bestow upon the moving company he had personally founded?

4. What kind of objects made up the "set of Chipwick's British Classics" (84) Elwood found in the schoolhouse basement?

5. What percentage of Elwood's college fund was used to hire a lawyer to help him get sent to Nickel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What bad news did Harriet deliver to her grandson Elwood in Chapter 12 when she came for a visit after missing one due to illness?

2. What event caused Elwood to decide to put into motion his plan to "get rid of Nickel" (157)?

3. What kind of strike was happening in New York City upon Elwood's arrival in the city as an adult?

4. What quality did Harper name as the most important one for a Community Service work detail member to possess?

5. How was Griff punished for his mistake in the boxing match?

6. Describe the two different ways of "serving time" (144) outlined by the narrator in Chapter 12.

7. Who was Chickie Pete and for what purpose does Whitehead devise his character?

8. At what conclusion did Elwood finally arrive when he contemplated the reason for his vicious beating in the White House?

9. What physical problem of Elwood's is described in Chapter 11?

10. What did adult Elwood do with the napkin associated with Chickie Pete and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Whitehead’s messages about guilt and responsibility within The Nickel Boys. Focus especially on events such as Harriet’s untimely death one year after her grandson Elwood’s demise.

Essay Topic 2

How is the topic of political activism treated within The Nickel Boys and how does its treatment relate to the novel's depicted messages?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of The Nickel Boys and one of the novel's main messages. How does Whitehead make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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