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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. Who borrows a cigarette from Ben in Part II?

2. What job does Ben have in Part II after leaving the institution?

3. Who does Alec appeal to for a new job in Part I?

4. What does Alec bring to his older son's room to wake him up in Part II?

5. Which writer pushes past Alec on the picket line in Part II?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Val meet Mike and why is she attracted to him?

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

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

4. Why does the doctor and medical students analyze Ben's case in Part II?

5. What does Jo notice about the man she thinks of as having a frog face in Part II?

6. What does Ben become obsessed with in Part II that takes over his life?

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

8. What kind of deal does Vern attempt to close in Part I?

9. What is Vern like as a child, and how does his childhood temperament relate to his adult one?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who passes by the old Woolworth's building as an elderly woman, and what unusual and almost supernatural quality or characteristics does Spufford imbue the building with at that time? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How does Jo find her way back to her dream of producing her own music and putting it out in the world towards the end of the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Spufford describe Ben's and Marsha's relationship, and why does it work so well even though it appears unconventional on the surface? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 645 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample