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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. What does the narrator conclude at the end of Chapter 18, THE NIGHT I AM MADE?

2. Overall, how do the brothers prove they are "tough guys" (68) when they arrive at the park in Chapter 13, DUCKS?

3. What line on Page 97 best chronicles how the narrator feels about what the headbanger shows the Brothers in Chapter 16, WASN'T NO ONE TO STOP THIS?

4. What particular name does Paps use with the narrator before the narrator leaves for the psychiatric ward?

5. Why is Paps going to Niagara Falls in Chapter 17: NIAGARA?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the difference between Paps' reasoning and the brothers' assumptions about Paps digging a hole in the backyard? How does the reader know this?

3. What does the narrator claim is the closest to being "made" he has ever been while hiding in the bus station bathroom? What does this exploit reveal about the narrator's secret?

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

5. At the end of Chapter 16, WASN'T NO ONE TO STOP THIS, the narrator says, "Why won't you look at me, my brothers, why won't you take my eyes?" (97). Why does the other want his brothers to "take his eyes"?

6. Why might the author share that the narrator remembers an erotic situation in a public pool locker room before viewing the tape the headbanger shares?

7. How does the headbanger's interpretation of the chalk circle being separated in a way that looks similar to a peace sign contribute to the story?

8. How does the narrator relate a stray cat's neglect of drinking milk they have given to her to Ma?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Paps digs a "hole" in the backyard while the brothers watch from an upstairs window. The brothers debate whether it is a hole, trench, or grave. Why do the brothers see the hole as being more somber than what Paps' true intentions may be? What does Paps say that explains his own reasoning for the hole?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

The final Chapter, ZOOKEEPING is only one page long, but it is still one of the most moving. The narrator's perception of reality are ambiguous and scattered. Review the final chapter for clues about the mental state of the narrator. Summarize how the chapter provides closure, even though it is not explicitly written. How does the writing of the final chapter shift from previous chapters? What does the last line of the chapter represent about how the narrator is handling his situation in the psychiatric ward?

(see the answer keys)

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