View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What food item does Shenah bring Sara when she visits her at her apartment?

2. What is Sara's favorite subject in college?

3. Reb says that a woman can not get into Heaven without what?

4. Max Goldstein says he likes Sara because she is what?

5. How does Sara keep her new apartment after she becomes a teacher?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Max Goldstein look like?

2. What do Sara's sisters think of Reb's problem with his new wife?

3. Why does Sara choose to go to the freshman class dance at college?

4. What does Sara refuse to do at her mother's funeral and why?

5. Why is Shenah so weak when Sara sees her in Chapter 18?

6. Why does Sara burn a shirt while ironing in Chapter 11?

7. How does Sara feel about her surroundings when she first goes to college?

8. Why does Sara refuse Max Goldstein despite having feelings for him?

9. Why does Sara see her graduation day from college as being bittersweet?

10. Describe Mrs. Feinstein.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bread Givers concludes with Sara deciding whether or not to take Reb into her home. She is conflicted because of his behavior and the past conflicts they have shared. Write an essay exploring the reasons Sara has for being hesitant to take her father in. Why is she always the sibling who takes responsibility for Reb? Why can she never escape him? How was Reb's personality and outlook on life shaped by the men who came before him? Explain your rationale by providing examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

A good education is something that is valued very little by the characters in Bread Givers. Of the Smolinsky siblings, only Fania and Sara go to night school. Sara is the only one to ever graduate college. Write an essay explaining why education is not highly valued by characters in Bread Givers. How does gender play into the fact that education is not prioritized for women? Why is money of greater value than knowledge in the story? What types of skills are viewed as being more valuable than a good education? Why? Explain your rationale by providing examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

The Torah is mentioned by Reb many times in Bread Givers. He uses it not only as a gateway for information, but as a source from which to preach. Write an essay explaining why the Torah is important to the story. What does it symbolize? In which situations does Reb use the Torah to try and educate his children? How is the Torah used to support the idea of religious fanaticism? Use examples from the book to support your writing.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 842 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample