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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 does Vern tell Alec in Part III unexpectedly?

2. What does Mr. Brocklehurst call Val?

3. What does Jo end up doing after moving back to London in Part IV?

4. Who gets upset by Jo's presence in the studio in Part III?

5. Who is Alec's first grandchild who he sometimes looks after?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Alec end up doing after he loses his job as a typesetter?

2. In Part III, what does Jo want from Ricky?

3. What does the woman Val helps at her volunteering position tell Val about why she is so upset?

4. Why does Marsha sometimes get nervous when her sister comes to visit the house for family events?

5. How does Marsha change Ben's life?

6. What does the old drunk man at the market say to Mike and the other Neo-Nazis?

7. What are some things about Marsha that Ben admires?

8. Why do Vern and his wife Kath break up?

9. What problem does Val's husband Claude struggle with?

10. What does Jo tell Ricky she misses in Part III?

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 do each of the five main characters' financial situations change over the course of the novel, and how important is money to each of them in making significant choices in their lives? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Spufford use the character of Mike to explore some aspects of racism and racist attitudes in postwar Britain? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 655 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample