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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 likened his parents and himself to something rather simple. What did he liken them to?

2. Where does the author step off the train when he first enters Brownsville?

3. What did the Jewish vendors sell roasted potatoes, baked apples and knishes from?

4. To the author's mother, what was the gateway to romance?

5. In Brownsville, what room of the house was the largest and most important?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the author's favorite memories from the first street in pages 'From the Subway to the Synagogue',?

2. Who does the author feel is his advocate in religion? How does the author feel about God?

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

4. Why did the author have such a hard time when his mother, cousin and her friends started talking about "Heym?"

5. What are some of the memories the author has about his place of worship?

6. In what ways did the kitchen hold the author's mother's character?

7. Describe the feelings the author first has when he enters his childhood neighborhood.

8. How does the author describe his childhood perception of the distance between Brownsville and New York?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

During the summer of his 16th year, the author joins a group with Socialist ties. What does the author feel his connection to the Socialist group is? His parents were of the Socialist influence, was that his draw to the party or did he truly believe the party would make what was wrong in his world right?

Essay Topic 2

The author's mother is the glue that holds their family together. What qualities does she possess that give her this position in the family and how does it effect the author?

Essay Topic 3

How do his relationships with the last few people, including his parents, help the author to reach his ultimate goal? What is the author's goal? How does the accomplishment of the goal suggest that the ending of this book isn't an ending but a beginning?

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This section contains 906 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample