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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 adjective does Sammy use to describe the hand shape of the young woman to whom he gives change?

2. The narrator describes the young woman he calls "Queenie" (5) as doing what to two different words?

3. What word does Lengel repeat when he speaks to the young women for the second time?

4. The narrator states that "Policy is what" (19) who wants?

5. What does Sammy do with the object purchased by the young woman he privately calls "Queenie" (5)?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Updike use the animal motif within the customers' reaction to the scene involving Lengel and the young women?

2. What clues does Sammy utilize in order to detect the class of the young woman he dubs "Queenie" (5)?

3. What is Lengel's reply to Sammy's accusation?

4. Describe Updike's use of foreshadowing within the story "A and P".

5. Why does Sammy use haste when saying "I quit" (22) the first time?

6. Discuss the socioeconomic status from which Sammy's family stems.

7. How is the theme of family bonds depicted within Sammy's reply to Lengel's claim about the harm inflicted by the young women?

8. In what way does Sammy react to Lengel's mention of policy?

9. For what reason and in what manner does Lengel confront the three young women in the store?

10. How does Updike show the childlike and whimsical nature of Sammy's personality in the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

What is Updike’s message concerning the link between integrity and suffering?

Essay Topic 3

Trace the characterization arc of Sammy’s character throughout the story. Discuss whether Sammy is a round or flat character and whether he is a static or dynamic character.

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