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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 metaphorical body part or parts does the narrator mention in reference to the "cash-register-watcher" (1)?

2. In what is Queenie's hair styled?

3. Of whom do the girls ask a question?

4. The narrator says that from the front doors of the A and P, he can see how many banks?

5. The narrator uses what word to describe the reactions of the other customers as they catch sight of the young women in the store?

Short Essay Questions

1. Provide evidence for the conclusion that there are many people in Sammy's town who are set in their ways.

2. What is ironic about Sammy's reaction when he sees McMahon ogling the young women?

3. Discuss how Updike uses language to indicate the character traits of Sammy.

4. What simile does Sammy use to describe the layout of the grocery store?

5. What are Sammy's feelings about Stokesie's career goal?

6. What is Sammy's purpose for using a historical allusion in Paragraph 1?

7. On what evidence does Sammy base his conclusion that one particular young woman is the leader?

8. How is the motif of sexuality included within the story?

9. Cite and discuss a unique simile used by Updike within the story.

10. In what way is the power of paradox shown within the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look carefully at Sammy’s language use throughout the story. What is Updike’s purpose for shaping Sammy’s voice in the way that he does? For example, why does Updike often choose to put grammatically incorrect phrasing into Sammy’s mouth, while also choosing a word like “hereafter” (32) for Sammy’s final line of narration within the story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the reasons why “A and P” uses a first-person narrator and a plot that unfolds in real time. What elements of the story's themes lend themselves to these choices and what are Updike’s intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Sammy’s fascination with the bodies of the three young women who enter the store in their bathing suits. Conduct an online inquiry that will allow you to understand the context of Updike’s possible messages more fully. Consider the fact that the story was first in 1961 as you conduct your research. Then combine your research with your analysis of the story and answer the prompt.

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This section contains 1,046 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample