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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. How does Jurgis feel when listening to this speech?

2. What does Jurgis do with the money the children bring home?

3. What does Jurgis do in response to Antanas' death?

4. Why is Jurgis in prison?

5. Where does Jurgis go after being in the country?

Short Essay Questions

1. Is Jurgis successful in getting the rest of the family converted to socialism?

2. Why doesn't Ona come to the courtroom during Jurgis' sentencing?

3. Where does Jurgis finally find the job that makes him happy, though he does not hold onto it for long?

4. What does Jurgis learn about his family when he asks around?

5. What is the stroke of luck that Jurgis happens upon?

6. When Jurgis gets out of the hospital, what does he do?

7. What happens when Jurgis goes back to the fertilizer mill?

8. What is the impassioned speech actually talking about in this chapter?

9. How does Jurgis response to the news of Antanas' death?

10. Why was Jurgis released from prison later than he thought would be?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the end, Jurgis is left with no one. What does this say about the American dream? What do you think will happen to Jurgis next? Do you think his future will be a happy one? Why or why not? Do you think the ending is a happy one? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

If you were in Jurgis and Ona's financial position, would you have still held a veselija? Why or why not? Why do you think they still had this traditional reception even though they couldn't afford it? Do you think it was fair for them to have to go into debt for this gathering? Why or why not? Was this the beginning of their troubles?

Essay Topic 3

Survival of the fittest seems to be an overarching theme of this novel. Those who struggle to survive are often doomed to fail, while those who persevere still don't get all they want. Choose three character from the story and describe how they struggled to survive. What was the outcome? Who were the fittest in the story? Why did you choose these characters?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 574 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample