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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did patterers deliver to their potential customers?
(a) Long, creative sales pitches.
(b) Sermons on the sinfulness of life.
(c) Short, pithy sales pitches.
(d) Monologues on how to do things.

2. What were the two usual reasons customers bought from patterers?
(a) To make fun of the patterers.
(b) The patterers were almost always pretty, young women.
(c) They felt God wanted them to buy.
(d) For the entertainment and because they believed the spiel.

3. What type of gambling was most popular with costers?
(a) Playing chess for money.
(b) Betting on the horse races.
(c) Playing cards or pitching pennies.
(d) Betting on dog fights.

4. What did the most intelligent and well-to-do costers sell?
(a) Hats and scarfs.
(b) Food and drink.
(c) Sewing goods.
(d) Shoes.

5. On what day of the week were regular customers allowed to stay free in some lodging houses?
(a) Saturday.
(b) Wednesday.
(c) Friday.
(d) Sunday.

6. What did costermongers hope to do by dark everyday?`
(a) Win big at gambling.
(b) Sell enough merchandise to feed their family every night.
(c) Steal and fence enough goods for whiskey.
(d) They had no daily goals.

7. Who often undersold Jewish traders?
(a) German traders.
(b) No one.
(c) British traders.
(d) Irish traders.

8. At about what age did many costermonger children begin to sell?
(a) Twelve.
(b) Six.
(c) Eight.
(d) Fourteen.

9. What was the most common tasks for which costers used math?
(a) Figuring their profits.
(b) Most costers did not know how to do math.
(c) Figuring the weights and measurements of their instruments.
(d) Betting on the horse races.

10. What were the low end lodging houses like?
(a) They were usually clean with decent food.
(b) They were just adequate, a little heat and a roof.
(c) They were typical dwellings for lower middle class.
(d) In terrible condition with no heat and leaky roofs.

11. What did few adult Jews seldom work as?
(a) Bankers.
(b) Costermongers.
(c) Tailors.
(d) Butchers.

12. What was a huckster who sold hardware at a fair called?
(a) A Cheap Con.
(b) A Penny Call.
(c) A Cheap Jack.
(d) A Hustler.

13. What type of modern store did costermongers fill in 1800s London?
(a) Clothing stores.
(b) Grocery stores.
(c) Convenience stores.
(d) Department stores.

14. Why did some young costers commit petty crimes?
(a) For a place to sleep and food to eat.
(b) To make a name for themselves.
(c) They were angry at the government.
(d) For the thrill of it.

15. What is one thing positive Mayhew says about crossing sweeps?
(a) They were cheerful.
(b) They would attempt any job.
(c) They worked as hard as they were capable.
(d) They were generally honest.

Short Answer Questions

1. What happened when Mike's father died?

2. What kind of low lodging house segregated the renters by sex?

3. What did dustmen do?

4. What kind of selling required the most capital and equipment?

5. Why did Mayhew say many costermongers lived in sin?

(see the answer keys)

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