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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 instrument does Carol play?

2. What does Dr. Kennicott encourage Carol to do to Gopher Prairie?

3. Carol raves about her husband to whom, following the Dutch woman's surgery?

4. What does Stewart Snyder suggest Carol would be good at being?

5. What part of Carol's body does Cy comment on to Earl?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Carol worried about when she leaves from first private talk with Guy Pollock?

2. Through what club does Carol first feel like she might be able to make a difference in Gopher Prairie?

3. When Carol visits Minneapolis, she is worried that the porter at the hotel thinks she is what? Why is this significant?

4. How does the town react to the disastrous play performance?

5. When Carol visits Guy Pollock for the first time, what simple gestures suddenly appear heightened?

6. Why is Vida interested in Raymie?

7. The townspeople often ask Carol is she "finds Gopher Prairie pleasing." Why is their interest ironic?

8. In what way does Carol try to convince herself Gopher Prairie is like New York?

9. Once Carol has her child, how does her life change?

10. The novel Main Street declares what as the "great mystery about a human being?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although Carol feels she is doing what she can to befriend the people of Gopher Prairie, some of her actions seem like insults to the locals.

Part1) Identify these actions.

Part 2) Discuss how they appear to those in Gopher Prairie.

Part 3) Analyze Carol's intentions.

Essay Topic 2

Dr. Kennicott is an unassuming, country doctor who marries a woman who desires to live a life beyond Gopher Prairie. This is a struggle that affects him throughout the novel yet he continues to love his town and his family. Answering the following, create a profile of this seemingly simple man.

Part 1) Describe Dr. Kennicott.

Part 2) Discuss his relationship with Gopher Prairie and his wife.

Part 3) Analyze the philosophy Dr. Kennicott seems to live by throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Although Carol tries to conform to what is expected in Gopher Prairie, she does not always remain with a conventional set of friends. Discuss the various characters Carol has befriended and why. Include...

1. Guy Pollock.

2. Bea.

3. The Red Swede.

(see the answer keys)

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