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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. For what do colleges woo Gunnar?

2. What does Gunnar do when he can't find any extracurricular activities he wants to do?

3. What does Coach Shimimoto do at basketball practice in Chapter Seven?

4. Who comes to ask Gunnar about his speech?

5. What major event occurred at the beginning of Chapter Seven?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gunnar find out when he gets out of the hospital after the riots and goes to Psycho's house? What does Psycho say to Gunnar?

2. What does Nick complain about Boston and what does he do about it?

3. What does the recruiter from Boston University do to woo Gunnar?

4. What kind of social life does Gunnar, Yoshiko and Nick have in Boston?

5. Where does Gunnar find refuge in his new school, how does he get his assignments and why has he been brought to that school?

6. How does the school counselor feel about Gunnar's SAT scores and what happens because of his scores?

7. What does Gunnar do when he can find no extracurricular activities to join and want does Gunnar write Yoshiko while on the road?

8. To what is Gunnar invited to speak and how does Gunnar feel about the introductory speaker?

9. What does Gunnar's coach tell him about Nick and what does the coach have for him? What does Gunnar do?

10. Who crashes Gunnar's wedding and what happens between them and his bride?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss one of the following:

1. Do you think racism still exists in the United States? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Discuss in depth several things that you can do in your own life to help stop prejudice against any group of people. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. According to the hate crime law any person harming another person and the primary motivation is prejudice or hatred that crime is more serious than the same act against a person that does not have that motivation. Do you think this is a good law? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following:

1. Trace and analyze the theme of growth in The White Boy Shuffle. Consider the following questions as you write: What characters are most concerned with growth? Why? What are some symbols of growth? Symbols of rigidity? What characters seem rigid?

2. Trace and analyze the theme of individual freedom in The White Boy Shuffle. Which characters struggle with this issue? Why? Which characters seem to possess individual freedom? Why?

3. Trace and analyze the theme of tradition in The White Boy Shuffle. What is Gunnar's view of tradition? Gunnar's mother? Nick's? Gunnar's father. Why is tradition important to some characters? Is anyone willing to abandon traditional viewpoints? Who? What are the positive and negative sides to holding fast to tradition?

Essay Topic 3

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think A Single Shard is? Explain your response.

(see the answer keys)

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