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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 is the weather like on Saturday in "A Mother"?

2. Mr. Alleyne's accent signifies that he comes from where?

3. What does Mr. Alleyne's head resemble?

4. What does Maria buy as a special gift for Joe and his wife?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happens to ruin the relationship between Mr. Duffy and Mrs. Sinico?

3. Describe Mr. Holohan's work ethic in comparison to Mrs. Kearney's work ethic.

4. What happens when Mrs. Kearney demands that the Eire Abu Society fulfill their part of the contract?

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

6. What injury does Mr. Kernan sustain in "Grace"?

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

8. What is the sermon the priest delivers in "Grace"?

9. Describe the quality of the concerts.

10. How does Mrs. Kernan deal with her husband's drinking bouts?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Eveline to two other female protagonists, Maria of "Clay" and Mrs. Kearney of "A Mother." Which of the latter two do you believe Eveline will be more like when she reaches middle age and beyond? Why? Do you expect her to become hardened with age like Mrs. Kearney or to soften like Maria?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Father Flynn's faith in "The Sisters" with that of Father Purdon in "Grace." Given Father Purdon's sermon regarding keeping account books with God, how would he have responded if he had committed Father Flynn's fateful sin of dropping the chalice?

Essay Topic 3

Compare the ideals of the political heroes discussed in "Ivy Day in the Committee Room" with the actual behavior of the characters in the story. Who are the political heroes, and what ideals do they espouse? What are the characters in the story doing while they talk about those heroes? What is the irony that Joyce describes in the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 901 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample