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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. What does Frank like about Brenda?

2. When Alan and Frank miss Brenda's party, what is Alan disappointed about?

3. How does Brenda seem to feel about Frank and Alan missing her party?

4. What is the name of the firm where Frank and Alan begin their legal careers?

5. What does Nan say is the cause of her life "made up of disappointments" (32)?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What angers Frank so much at the bar and restaurant called "Jack's'?

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

5. Who is Nan Christie, and what is her relationship to Frank?

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

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

8. 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?

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

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 compares and contrasts the settings of New York and Europe in "American Express." Your essay should make a claim about the significance of these two settings, not simply describe them. Be sure to support your assertions with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that examines both the causes and consequences of Frank's restlessness. Support your claims with evidence from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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