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. Where does Etienne Lantier arrive the night at the beginning of the novel?

2. How are the miners presented to the visitors?

3. About what do Etienne and Souvarine talk?

4. Who does Etienne hear talking as he walks?

5. What is one of the reasons Etienne thinks he might be working in the mine?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the Montsou miners do while the miners are working at the Jean-Bart mine?

2. Where does Etienne move in August and why?

3. Why has Etienne come to the mine?

4. What is the Advantage and what happens there?

5. What happens to Catherine at the Jean-Bart mine?

6. Souvarine and Etienne have a discussion after the tragedy of the shooting. What do they talk about and what does Souvarine do?

7. How do the miners feel about the supervisors?

8. How do the miners decide on a delegation to meet with Hennebeau and what are the results of the meeting?

9. In what type of situation does Bonnemort live?

10. What does Lantier see Jeanlin do and how does he help the boy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As the miners march toward Montsou, their numbers grow; the more they grow, the more they feel certain of their success. This anticipated success leads the striking miners to commit acts they would not have the strength to perform individually.

1. How do the miners demonstrate the power of a crowd?

2. There are also examples of the power of an individual in the book. What were two of them?

Essay Topic 2

The fourth part of the novel outlines the positions of the two camps involved in the growing conflict - the miners and the Company's representatives.

1. Why do you think the mine owners are unwilling to listen to the miners?

2. Do you think the miners were demanding too much from the mine owners? Why or why not?

3. If you were a negotiator between these two groups how would you attempt to forge an agreement?

Essay Topic 3

The third section of the novel draws a portrait of the events that lead the miners to go on strike. It also shows the evolution of Étienne Lantier's political ideas.

1. What do you see as the stages in the evolution of Lantier's thinking from sympathy with the miners to action?

2. How might Etienne Lantier's own weaknesses have pushed him to organize the miners?

3. How did his strengths help him?

Use examples from the book to support your opinions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,022 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample