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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. Where does Solomon Soderberg live?

2. What musician does Tillie describe on the radio when she and Jazzlyn were arrested?

3. Where did Solomon Soderberg attend law school?

4. Who suggests the women meet again next week at her house when leaving Claire's in Book 3, Chapter 11: "All Hail and Hallelujah"?

5. What word refers to a tightrope walker?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the protagonist’s childhood described in Book 3, Chapter 11: “All Hail and Hallelujah”?

2. How would you describe the relationship between Tillie and Jazzlyn Henderson?

3. Whom does the protagonist meet on the airplane in Book 4, Chapter 12: “Roaring Seaward, And I Go”? How is this character described?

4. Who is the protagonist of Book 4, Chapter 12: “Roaring Seaward, And I Go”? How would you describe the narrative style of this chapter?

5. Whose case is presented first in Book 3, Chapter 9: “Part of the Parts”?

6. What is Tillie’s decision at the end of Book 2, Chapter 7: “This is the House That Horse Built”? What leads to this decision?

7. How are Adelita’s first impressions of Corrigan described in Book 3, Chapter 10: “Centavos”?

8. Who visits the prison in Book 2, Chapter 7: “This is the House That Horse Built”? Why?

9. What trick involving birth dates is described in Book 2, Chapter 8: “The Ringing Grooves of Change”?

10. What is the protagonist’s destination in Book 4, Chapter 12: “Roaring Seaward, And I Go”? Why is she going to this destination?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the different depictions of Corrigan in Let the Great World Spin. How is Corrigan perceived differently by the characters that describe him in the novel? What aspects of Corrigan’s character stand out the most? Why do you think the author does not depict Corrigan from a first-person perspective in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Tillie Henderson in Let the Great World Spin. Where is Tillie’s character first introduced? How would you describe Tillie’s manner of speech? Where is Tillie when she relates her story in Book 2, Chapter 7: “This is the House That Horse Built”?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the character of Jaslyn in the novel. When and where is Jaslyn first introduced? What is her relationship to the other characters in the narrative? What are Jaslyn’s actions, objectives, obstacles, and conflicts in her story?

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