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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 day is it as the novel opens?

2. Where will the family be going for a party later on?

3. What does Lute consider making to take to the party?

4. What did Julian get Caroline for Christmas?

5. What reminds Julian of his shameful behavior of the night before?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author use another instance of foreshadowing for a climactic event soon to come?

2. What were the repercussions of the coal strike in 1925?

3. What is the extent of prejudice in this story?

4. What comment does Lute make that is foreshadowing for an upcoming event?

5. How does Irma feel superior to the Jewish people across the street?

6. Describe Al Greco.

7. What coping mechanisms do Julian and Caroline use to try to control the alcohol abuse?

8. What are Al Greco's living arrangements?

9. What does William English do for the first ten years after his father's death?

10. How does Julian's boyhood affect his behavior today?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are several events of foreshadowing in the novel. Define foreshadowing. Cite at least two situations in the story that serve as foreshadowing.

Essay Topic 2

Money and status are very important to the characters in the novel. Choose at least three characters and cite how each one works to maintain a certain lifestyle or achieve a certain lifestyle.

Essay Topic 3

Why did the author choose to use the omniscient narrator perspective for this story? What does this point of view entail? What do you know about the characters and the plot line that you would not know from a different point of view?

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