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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. Who is the woman who works for Willie?

2. Why does Willie lose when he runs for reelection?

3. What happens during a fire drill at the school two years after it is constructed?

4. What does Jack Burden carry with him?

5. Why does Annabelle sell Phebe, her waiting maid?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the nature of Anne Stanton's depression?

2. How does Jack reason out Judge Irwin's role in his childhood?

3. Under what circumstances did Jack's parents meet?

4. To whom is the construction contract awarded and why?

5. When is Jack able to leave California and return home?

6. Explain the literary technique of flashback that the author uses in Chapter 1.

7. What leads Jack to explore the judge's interest in the American Electric Power Company?

8. Does Jack have any contact with his real father now?

9. How do Jack's mother and Judge Irwin feel about Jack's association with Willie Stark?

10. What does the new hospital symbolize for Willie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how Willie's role as protagonist evolves as the plot extends. How does Willie change from the hard-working farm boy to a manipulative politician? What are Willie's motivators? Is Willie the typical protagonist hero at heart?

Essay Topic 2

If Jack's mother has always been in love with Judge Irwin, why didn't she marry him, especially when she became pregnant? Why would Jack's mother suffer through a string of inferior men as husbands? What price did she pay in order to keep Jack ignorant about the identity of his real father?

Essay Topic 3

The author inserts a surprising story in as Chapter 4 regarding the Mastern family. What lessons is the author trying to teach in this chapter? Is it the evil of slavery? The sins of marital infidelity? The burden of guilt and remorse? Explain your position.

(see the answer keys)

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