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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the boy ask for at the end of the chapter?

2. What does Clyde call his plan?

3. What do divers find in the lake?

4. Who does Orville Mason think murdered Roberta?

5. What is the name of the district attorney?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Foreshadowing plays a big part in the novel. What is foreshadowing? How does Dreiser use foreshadowing in the novel? What affect does it have on the novel's meaning?

Essay Topic 2

Clyde kills Roberta because he desperately wants to be part of the upperclass. How different do you think the lives of the upper class and working classes were? Can you understand why Clyde was so desperate to escape his impoverished background?

Essay Topic 3

An American is a famous book which has greatly influenced popular culture. Choose a film or book written after An American Tragedy that you think was influenced by the novel and discuss there similarities in terms of a) plot b) character c) themes.

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This section contains 201 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample