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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 doc find when he wades into the water and parts the mass of algae?

2. Where does Doc stop for his first square meal?

3. What is Holman's Department Store's best promotion ever?

4. Who garners much attention after falling sick?

5. Whose advice does Henri seek after having a nightmare?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what event does Steinbeck use foreshadowing in this chapter?

2. What is the significance of the flagpole sitter at Holman's Department Store?

3. Describe Mary Talbot.

4. Which character seems to assimilate the combined woes of everyone in Cannery Row?

5. How does Steinbeck show that Cannery Row is an undesirable part of town?

6. What are some of the morning rituals on Cannery Row?

7. What does Steinbeck believe about truth which is explained by Doc's walking trip during college?

8. What is the symbolism of the music in Doc's head when he finds the body of the beautiful dead woman in the water?

9. How does Mack know that the captain's wife would disapprove of Mack and the boys?

10. How does Mack perceive Doc?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mack and the boys are forced to be very resourceful. Give some examples of behaviors exhibited by Mack and the boys that indicate they know how to get what they need in spite of their obvious lack of typical resources. Would you say Mack and the boys are creative? Or do they simply use people to avoid work? Do you think you could be friends with Mack and the boys? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Mack and the boys are a band of homeless men who live together in a warehouse they name the Palace Flophouse. Why do Mack and the boys become like a family after a while? How do they exhibit behaviors inherent in families? What lessons is Steinbeck trying to teach about the various ways that families can be created, outside of the obvious biological combinations?

Essay Topic 3

How does Steinbeck use the literary technique of local color in Cannery Row? What elements comprise local color? Give some examples of the local color in Cannery Row establishments. In the characters. In the events.

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