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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 is Nettie pleading for while her grandfather is dining on the other side of the city?

2. Where does Ruth find a job in Chapter LXII?

3. Who does Hyacinth ask to convince Ruth to find another line of work?

4. In Chapter XLV, what does Ruth notice about the people in her neighborhood?

5. What publication is John Walter the editor for?

Short Essay Questions

1. What two offers does Ruth receive in Chapter LXXII?

2. How does Mr. Walter advise Ruth in Chapter LXXI?

3. Who is John Walter and what does he offer Ruth in Chapter LXVIII?

4. What success does Ruth find in Chapter LXIV? Who is unhappy with her success?

5. What does Ruth travel to City Hall to do in Chapter LI?

6. What does Mr. Walter tell Mr. Lewis about Ruth in Chapter LXXIX?

7. Who does Ruth find has died at the hospital for the insane?

8. Who does Katy meet after leaving her grandfather's home in Chapter XLV?

9. What is life like for Katy living with her grandparents?

10. What does Mrs. Millet have a conversation about with her husband in Chapter XLIV?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ruth is left without money or means following the death of her husband. Describe the living conditions that Ruth and her daughters are forced to live in following Harry's death. How does the narrator describe her living accommodations? How does Ruth make money for her family?

Essay Topic 2

After struggling without income for some time, Ruth decides to become a writer. Describe Ruth's writing career from when she first decides to become a writer until the end of the novel. How does Ruth's choice to become a writer change her life forever? Why does she use a pen name? What types of things does she write about?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Ruth's character growth throughout the novel. How does she compare at the beginning of the novel and the end of the novel? What contributed to her growth as a character?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 840 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample