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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. Where is Alan's family from?

2. From context, what can be inferred about the neighborhood of Bryant Park?

3. What does working on the Hardmann Roe case remind Frank and Alan of?

4. Why does Brenda not want to take the promotion she has been offered?

5. What technique is used in the sentence, "Which was what made them inseparable, the hours of work, the lyric, the dreams" (26)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the difference in Frank's and Alan's attitudes toward marriage?

2. Explain the meaning of this metaphor used on page 23: "They were in the last rank of the armies of law."

3. What does Frank tell Nan is the difference between men and women?

4. What is the outcome of Frank and Alan's big case, and how does it impact their careers?

5. What do Frank and Alan do two months before their big case is supposed to be tried, and why do people tell them it is a bad idea?

6. What is similar and what is different about Frank's and Alan's fathers?

7. What is the story that Nan Christie tells Frank about trying to find someone to date and marry?

8. What major event happens in Alan's life at Christmastime the year that Frank meets Nan, and how does Alan feel about it?

9. What is "Hardmann Roe," and what role does it play in shaping Frank's and Alan's careers?

10. How does Nan react when Frank tells her his theory about the difference between men and women?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Alan and Frank exchange a look in the hotel bar in Spoleto after Eda has refused to sleep with Alan, Alan understands Frank's intentions without discussion. "They were like thieves," the narrator comments (45). In what sense are Frank and Alan like thieves? Write an essay that considers not just this scene but the entirety of the story as you make and defend a claim about Frank's and Alan's willingness to "steal" to get what they want. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the significance of alcohol in "American Express." Support your assertions with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Are Frank and Alan happy with their lives and achievements? Write an essay that uses evidence from the text to support a claim about whether either man understands how to make himself truly happy.

(see the answer keys)

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