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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. When Lengel first addresses the young women, he tells them that they are not in what location?

2. The narrator says that he can feel in the silence that "everybody is getting" (20) what?

3. The narrator states that what "the others want is" (19) what?

4. The narrator says that the sound of one young woman's voice immediately takes him to what location?

5. How does the person who notices the narrator's reaction to Lengel's repeated word feel about the narrator's reaction?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the policy cited by Lengel when he tells the young women they are in violation?

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

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

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

5. What type of home life does Sammy imagine for the young woman he dubs "Queenie" (5)?

6. What details does Sammy provide about his boss Lengel?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the instances of irony within the narrative of “A and P” and analyze Updike's purpose for including each instance you discuss.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the story’s use of the animal motif. Why does Sammy continually use language associated with farm animals, and how does this choice dovetail with messages depicted in the story?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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