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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. Why does Paps take the narrator to Niagara Falls and not Joel and Manny?

2. Where does the headbanger bring the brothers at his house in Chapter 16, WASN'T NO ONE TO STOP THIS?

3. Who is the first brother to go into the hole in Chapter 14, TRENCH?

4. At the start of Chapter 14, TRENCH, what does Manny smear under the brothers' eyes, because they are wearing camouflage clothing?

5. What does Manny scream at while Paps is beating him for going to the field in Chapter 15, TRASH KITES?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Paps leaves the narrator alone at museum, an older man ambiguously asks the narrator, "I guess you're a bit young for that. What about your folks?" (100). What are some implications that can be made about the old man's statement?

2. What does it say about the narrator when he ponders, "Who knows this mutt life, this race mixing? Who knows Paps?" (104) in Chapter 19, THE NIGHT I AM MADE?

3. What do you discover about the brothers' place in the neighborhood through the presentation on Page 90?

4. How does Ma feel after visiting the park? What statements or behavior show her feelings?

5. How do you know that the narrator and the bus driver have a sexual encounter? (Provide a quote.)

6. In Chapter 15, TRASH KITES, how does the reader know that the narrator feels differently from his brother Joel about watching Manny be beaten by Paps? What does this say about the narrator as a character?

7. What does Manny's dream about kites represent for the brothers and their futures? Provide a quote that shows your reasoning.

8. How does the narrator deviate from the other brothers when it comes to lying in the hole Paps has dug?

9. What doubts does the narrator have about why he wrote his personal longings in his journal?

10. How does Paps comment about the narrator's dancing: "Goddamn, I got me a pretty one" (102) contribute to your understanding of Paps understanding of his son?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 6, US PROPER, the brothers are told about their births from Ma. Ma explains how young she was and how Paps "tricked her." At the end of the Chapter, the boys encounter a pregnant woman and ask her unorthodox questions about her own pregnancy. The woman responds that the brothers need to behave properly. Why do you think this Chapter is titled, "US PROPER?" What is the relevance of the word "US" in the Chapter title, when it may have just been called, "BEING PROPER"?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 16, WASN'T NO ONE TO STOP THIS, the narrator is irritated by Manny's unceasing mention of God. The narrator is annoyed that Manny acts as if he deeply understands, but the narrator questions Manny's awareness. How does Manny justify his knowledge of God? What are some examples that justify Manny's intuitions about God?

Essay Topic 3

At the park, Ma feeds the ducks while the brothers wonder off onto a highway. They encounter a woman who is worried that the brothers are dangling their legs off a bridge. When the family leaves the park, Manny calls "a woman" a bitch, but it is unclear whether he is referring to the woman from the highway or Ma. According to the plot line of he novel, which woman do you believe Manny is making reference to and why? What specific aspects of the Chapter lead you to that conclusion?

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