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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. Where is Jenny going?
2. How does Tony's weekend farce turn out?
3. What does John Beaver ask his mother?
4. Why does Jock apologize?
5. What does Rosa say when Tony talks to her about going further on?
Short Essay Questions
1. How has John Beaver fared through the saga of Tony and Brenda's failed marriage?
2. How does Tony finally take some of his own personal power back and take charge of his destiny?
3. What do Messigner and Tony decide to do and do you think they make the best choice?
4. What is Tony's position in Brenda's social circle by the end of this chapter?
5. How long is it before Tony and Messinger are able to talk to the men of the village about what they want?
6. How does Reggie present the situation about Brenda to Tony?
7. Why does Tony have to appear to be in the wrong?
8. What happens after Brenda has written Tony and telling him about John Beaver?
9. How does Tony manage to survive in the jungle?
10. How does Brenda take the news of her son's death?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Often the people hurt the most in a situation like that of Tony and Brenda's is a child. John Andrew plays a pivotal role in the melodrama of Brenda's descent into selfishness. Discuss the following:
1. Compare the relationship between John Andrew and each of his parents.
2. How does the relationship between John Andrew and his parents (individually) change over the course of the story?
3. How does John Andrew tip the scales in Brenda's decision to reveal all to Tony? Do you think she is genuinely grieved about her son's death or glad for an opportunity for "total freedom"?
Essay Topic 2
Discuss one of the following:
1. Compare and contrast Tony Last with John Beaver.
2. Compare and contrast Brenda Last as she really is with whom Tony Last believes she is.
3. Discuss the roles of Jock Grant-Menzies, Mrs. Beaver, Marjorie, Dr. Messinger and Mr. Todd in the lives of the two major characters, Brenda and Tony Last. Is everyone of these secondary characters vital to the novel? Are any of them a foil to one of the major characters?
Essay Topic 3
One of the major themes of A HANDFUL OF DUST is that of the differences among different classes in 1930's England. When the book opens, we meet Mrs. Beaver and her son John, who though they once lived in luxury, now get by through Mrs. Beaver's foray into the mundane middle class of making a living. Choose one of the following to discuss:
1. Discuss the idea of "class" as it exists in this novel. Be sure to include specific examples from the text and a definition of class.
2. Compare and contrast the life of upper-class England with that of either the middle class or lower class (i.e., the servants) as it exists in the novel. What is the upper class attitude towards earning a living? The middle class? The lower class? Which class seems the most practical? The most idealistic?
3. Discuss the following question: What is more of a barrier among people: class, education, religion or gender? Explain your reasoning fully using examples both from the text and your own life experiences.
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This section contains 1,631 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) |
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