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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. The author stopped at the neighborhood drugstore to have lunch one day. While eating his sandwich, some of it fell into a pile of dust. How did this make the author feel?

2. What country did the civics teacher come from?

3. The author preferred the movie house over the synagogue, why did he favor the movie house?

4. Who could the author hear crying in the streets at night as a child?

5. The author's childhood school is still standing in the neighborhood, how does the school feel to the author?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the third street the author mentions in "From the Subway to the Synagogue" and what is it's significance?

2. What was the author most embarrassed about during his school years? What made those years worse?

3. How does the author describe the Episcopalian church in his childhood neighborhood?

4. What is the nickname the author's father gave him? What is the meaning of the nickname and did the author like his nickname?

5. The author's mother was a dressmaker. What was her process of creation?

6. During the day the author's home was different than others. How was it different?

7. The author liked to go to his cousin's room right before supper. What did he like to do while he was in there?

8. Which of the buildings in Brownsville that has been demolished holds the most fond memories for the author and why?

9. Who does the demolished part of the author's childhood neighborhood remind the author of and why was she so important to him?

10. How does the author feel about his childhood school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What importance did the Soloveys hold for the author? They had a past and a relationship that was unique, what about those ideas was unique to them? What about Mrs. Solovey was so enticing for the author? What was his made-up name for her and what character from a book did he associate her with? What about Mr. Solovey was important to the author? What connection did they have?

Essay Topic 2

The author felt the most joy in a place where he felt the most uncomfortable. Explore the idea of the author's constant struggle with feeling like an outsider or an alien.

Essay Topic 3

How much of the author's unhappiness was self-inflicted? How could he have done or interpreted things differently in his life in such a way that he would have been less resentful and more content? Cite specific examples.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,068 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample