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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. How does the final spinning top battle between Farkas and the narrator conclude?

2. What is the name of the school the narrator attends?

3. When Farkas starts walking away from the narrator after their first top spinning contest, what does the narrator do?

4. At what point does the narrator realize they are halfway to their Michigan destination?

5. What subject does Miss Shields teach?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does most of the work when it's time to prepare for the narrator's annual vacation?

2. Where do the Bumpuses make their illegal liquor?

3. What happens after the narrator uses a dummy top and lets Farkas win the first round?

4. Describe the race that the Old Man and the narrator watch at the County Fair.

5. During their road trip, the narrator is convinced that he left his fishing gear back home. What does he discover about his gear at the end of the story?

6. Which member of the narrator's family seems to be the most excited at the County Fair?

7. Describe the Shepherd family's arrival at Ollie Hopnoodle's resort in Clear Lake.

8. Describe the yard of the Bumpus family.

9. What are some of the misadventures the family experiences on their drive to Michigan?

10. How does Delbert Bumpus disrupt life at school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

After the narrator opens a box that he receives as an adult and peruses through the childhood treasures found inside, he decides to pack everything back up and hide it on the top shelf of a closet. Explain what this says about the author's viewpoint on stirring up the past.

Essay Topic 2

How does the narrator feel after the battles against Scut Farkas, the school bully, in top-spinning matches? Who wins? Does it even matter who wins, or does the narrator grow in confidence and self-assurance as a result of his desire to best the bully? Explain your reasoning.

Essay Topic 3

Using examples from the book, explain how the narrator benefits when he applies, or engages in, the following:

a. Self-discipline

b. Family traditions

c. Challenging the status quo

(see the answer keys)

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