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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 word does the narrator use to describe the young woman wearing the green plaid bathing suit?

2. The customers "bunch up" (20) in front of whose register?

3. Which person at the scene does Sammy describe as being the most nervous person there?

4. What adjective does the narrator use to describe the speech of the young woman to whom he refers as "Queenie" (5)?

5. The narrator says that the truck parked outside of the A and P is full of what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Updike demonstrate Sammy's lack of experience with girls and women?

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

3. In what way do the themes of guilt and responsibility enter the narrative?

4. How does the young woman dubbed "Queenie" (5) by Sammy react to Lengel's actions?

5. Discuss a possible reason for Lengel's request for Sammy to repeat his words "I quit" (22).

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

7. Describe an example of Updike's use of metaphor within the story.

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

9. What unique form of imagery does Updike create to depict Queenie's anger at Lengel's words?

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

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

Explicate the theme of conformity within Updike’s story “A and P.” What is Updike’s message regarding conformity and how do you know? Be sure to consider characters that may represent conformity or its opposite.

Essay Topic 3

Write a critical essay about “A and P” while using the critical power theory lens of Marxist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the story's treatment of issues such as socioeconomic status, hierarchies, wealth, class, or any other issues related to Marxist theory that can be found in the short story.

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