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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. In the first paragraph of "Clay," what is sitting on one of the tables?

2. Where do Mr. Duffy and Mrs. Sinico meet for the last time in "A Painful Case"?

3. What does Mrs. Kernan make for her husband in order to nurse him back to health?

4. What does Mr. Kernan always wear when he is out in the city?

5. After delivering the object the men of "Ivy Day in the Committee Room" are expecting, what does the servant boy ask for?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Mr. O'Connor's appearance in "Ivy Day in the Committee Room".

2. What scheme does Mr. Henchy devise for opening the beer bottles?

3. Describe the quality of the concerts.

4. In "Clay", how do Maria's acquaintances think of Maria?

5. Describe Gallaher's lifestyle.

6. What are Little Chandler's dreams for himself?

7. What happens when Farrington returns to his desk after the first time in the story Mr. Alleyne reprimands him?

8. How does Little Chandler handle his crying baby?

9. What is the "plot" the Kernans' friends devise to bring some stability to Mr. Kernan's life?

10. What does the group of men in "Ivy Day in the Committee Room" meet to discuss?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe why you believe Joyce chose the title "Clay" for his story involving Maria and her trip to visit her good friends. Support your arguments with evidence from the story. Remember, you may argue any perspective that you believe to be true, as long as you can defend it well; therefore, you should not hesitate to stretch your critical thinking skills and consider subtle possibilities.

Essay Topic 2

What does Araby signify for the narrator of "Araby"? What does it signify for Miss Mangan? Describe what the bazaar symbolically represents for each character and why.

Essay Topic 3

Describe Mrs. Kearney's actions in "A Mother" as relates to the social conventions for the economic class to which the other characters belong. Then, make a decision about whether she defended justice by demanding proper payment or whether she simply made a nuisance of herself in polite company. Defend your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 808 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample