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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. Oriel Lamb describes her father’s remarriage to whom in Chapter III?

2. What is the name of Sam Pickles’s father in the novel?

3. Who does Rose daydream about running away with in Chapter V?

4. What is the name of the competing grocer that Oriel Lamb decides to drive out of business in Chapter V?

5. What do the members of the Lamb family spin in order to determine who will wash dishes in Chapter III?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Sam’s actions in Chapter III propel the plot of the narrative forward?

2. What is foreshadowed by the central event that occurs in Chapter II of the novel?

3. How does the luck of the Pickles family change at the end of Chapter IV?

4. What is foreshadowed through the character of the black man that appears in Chapter III?

5. How does the Lamb family perceive the concept of “luck,” as seen in the second half of Chapter III? What symbolizes this perception?

6. What is revealed about the character of Oriel Lamb in the second half of Chapter III?

7. qHow does the Lamb family perceive the concept of “fate” as seen in Chapter III?

8. What scene is depicted in the brief section prior to the opening of Chapter I?

9. How does Sam’s change of luck affect the outcome of events that take place in Chapter IV?

10. What can the character of Rose Pickles be seen to represent symbolically in Chapter I?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the family history of Dolly Pickles in the novel. What secret does Dolly reveal to Rose about her mother? How has Dolly’s past influenced her actions in the story? Do you think that Dolly is an empathetic character? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of luck as perceived by the Lamb and Pickles families in the novel. How is this theme symbolized by the spinning of the butter knife by the Lamb family? What role does luck play in the establishment of the grocery store? How do the Pickles differ in their perceptions of luck?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the characters of Lester and Oriel Lamb in the novel. How old are Lester and Oriel when the story begins? How many children do they have? How is their relationship characterized? In what ways are the Lambs similar and different than the Pickles family?

(see the answer keys)

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