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. What is the name of Vern's company?

2. What does Alan order for Val at their stop at the cafe?

3. What nickname does Jo give one of the young men in the wings in Part II?

4. What singer does Vern see in the restaurant?

5. Who is Alec's older son?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part II, who does Alec have a difficult relationship with in his life?

2. In Part I, how does Alec demonstrate his willingness to challenge authority as a child?

3. What is Jo's experience in Part II trying to make it as a musician in America?

4. Why is Trevor upset with Ben in Part II?

5. What is one reason Alec feels distant from his son?

6. What reasons does Spufford imagine that might have prevented the Woolworth's bombing?

7. Why does Alec's mentor have some misgivings about him going into the line of work he has chosen?

8. Who encourages Mike not to fight with Ben and Trevor, and why does she do this?

9. Why does Mike threaten Ben on the bus in Part II?

10. How does Vern mislead his dinner companion in Part I?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Jo eventually move back to London, and how does her move change the course of her life? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What does Spufford use Vern's love of opera to signify/symbolize? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What does the linotype, and Alec's experiences with it, ultimately come to symbolize? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 638 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample