Part I

Reading Check

1. A severe drought (Part 1, “The Day I Was Born”)

2. A cloud releases rain. (Part 1, “The Day I Was Born”)

3. He has a way with animals. (Part 1, “In Which He Speaks to Animals”)

4. A 16-foot snowman (Part 1, “The Year It Snowed in Alabama”)

5. He can recognize people by their footfalls. (Part 1, “His Great Promise”)

6. He is dying from a progressive illness. (Part 1, “My Father’s Death: Take 1”)

7. Natural disasters (Part 1, “My Father’s Death: Take 1”)

8. She names the place where it happened “Edward’s Grove.” (Part 1, “The Girl in the River”)

9. That some of them are bigger than people (Part 1, “In Which He Goes Fishing”)

10. Through “the place that had no name” (Part 1, “The Day He Left Ashland”)

11. They helped him when he was mugged. (Part 1, “Entering A New World”)

Short Answer

1. He exaggerates details of his life to make it more interesting. He is preoccupied with his own importance and frequently discusses how to become great.