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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 house number where Bonnemort lives?

2. By what name does Bonnemort's daughter-in-law go?

3. Who is Rasseneur?

4. Why is La Maheude upset about her family?

5. Why do the activist miners say they have decided to leave the Advantage?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the miners demand of Mr. Hennebeau?

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

3. Why were the Montsou miners angry at the Jean-Bart miners?

4. Why does Etienne Lantier set up a meeting with the miners and what happens at that meeting?

5. How do the miners feel about the supervisors?

6. Why is it almost impossible by February for the miners to continue the strike?

7. How is Chaval feeling about Catherine and Lantier with Etienne living there and what does he do about it?

8. What happens in the mine with Chaval, Etienne and Catherine?

9. What is the social scene like in the village?

10. What does Lantier do when the miners begin to reject him?

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

There seems to be a huge gap between the rich and poor in this novel.

1. How is this difference shown in the book?

2. Do you see this gap existing in America today? Why or why not?

3. Do you see any morality issue with the gap between the very rich and the very poor?

Use examples to illustrate your answer.

Essay Topic 3

The army is now occupying Montsou, which means that the miners are powerless, a situation which fuels even more ambivalent anger.

1. How do you think powerlessness engenders anger?

2. What are alternatives to anger to deal with powerlessness?

3. Do you believe the anger seen in some civil rights groups in the 1960s in America stemmed from feeling powerless? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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