The Fourth Stall

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. How does the author use language to set the novel’s overall tone?

A) He uses names such as Staples and MacGyver to emit an eerie tone.

B) He names pets and friends unusual names to set a comical mood.

C) He uses words such as posse and informant to portray 1930s crime families.

D) He describes the threats on animals and people to express a sense of foreboding.

2. How might Vince’s character be described?

A) As immature and dependent

B) As mature beyond his years

C) As weak and insecure

D) As age appropriate

3. What is the novel’s overall tone when describing places such as the school bathroom as the office for a would-be mob boss?

A) Humorous

B) Dramatic

C) Intense

D) Violent

4. What best describes Mac’s role in his mob?

A) He carries out difficult attacks on individuals.

B) He is responsible for managing the money.

C) He acts as the brains of the operation.

D) He works to circulate rumors and collect information.

5. What event is foreshadowed in the novel?

A) Staples gives up his criminal activity.

B) Vince betrays Mac.

C) Mac and Vince attend the World Series.

D) Fred’s collusion with Staples.

6. What purpose do Mac’s backstories serve in the narrative?

A) They give personal details about Mac’s home life.

B) They instruct the reader on how to interpret unknown words.

C) They provide more information on Mac’s business dealings.

D) They supply information unknown to Mac about Staples’s business.

7. What best portrays Mac and Vince’s innocence in the novel?

A) Their shared goal of attending the World Series

B) The compassion they show Staples

C) Their business dealings and connections

D) Their history in the Bella Vista trailer park

8. Which statement best describes Mac’s character growth?

A) Mac begins to understand that he cannot trust those within his business.

B) Mac foreswears his life as a crime boss and develops a new sense of morality.

C) Mac realizes that Vince resents his prosperous lifestyle.

D) Mac learns to empathize with those who are less fortunate than himself.

9. What scenarios from the novel show that Mac genuinely cares for the students at his school?

A) He prevents them from placing bets with Staples’s bookie.

B) He protects them in exchange for favors.

C) He collects money from them for various tasks.

D) He ensures the safety of the students by guarding the playground.

10. What is Vince’s motivation for betraying Mac?

A) Jealousy

B) Mac’s mistreatment

C) Financial hardship

D) Their deteriorating friendship

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Examine the role of humor in The Fourth Stall. How does the author use humor to engage readers?

2. Consider the impact of Mac and Vince’s business on the school community. How does their business disrupt the social hierarchy of the school? Is their business good for the school environment?