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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. How did many musician patterers support themselves?

2. What was the average wage of someone in the job in number 69?

3. Who most often hosted lodging houses?

4. Why did some of these low-end workers go into the business?

5. Who usually watched Jewish girls who peddled fruit?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did mudlarks do and how did they bathe?

2. What was the story Mayhew wrote about a Cheap Jack?

3. Where did most costermongers and their families live

4. How did dustmen and mudlarks help each other?

5. What modern institutions did Costermongers fill in the 1800's London and what are some of the merchandise they sold? What did the more intelligent costers do?

6. Who normally held a crossing sweep position and how was that job viewed? How did the crossing sweep have to eat sometimes?

7. What did bolder boys do with coal barges, how was this viewed and what could happen to the boys? How did the boys feel about jail?

8. What types of generalizations did Mayhew make about the London street people and how did this reflect Victorian thinking on industrialization?

9. Where did orphan or runaway coster children live and how did they get money?

10. What are the six categories the author separated the London street people into and how did these street people generally earn their living?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Due to competition, the photographer had to offer portraits for a half-penny, an impossibly low price. To bolster earnings, he either lured people into buying a more expensive photo, or sold them bogus products like a "Patent American Air Preserver" that was actually just scrap paper.

1. After reading this photographer's story would you consider him to be of low moral character? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Explain why this photographer's actions demonstrates the validity of the cliche: buyer beware. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Do you believe it is the responsibility of the seller of a goods to make certain the goods are worth the selling price or it is the responsibility of the buyer to decide that? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Mike joined a gang of crossing sweeper youths. They tumbled together and worked sweeping an intersection together. Each kept his own tips, but they prepared meals together and rented a room together in a low lodging house. When there was not enough money for a room, they slept under the arched stone doorway of a church.

1. What were the advantages of youths working together? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. What were the disadvantages of youths working together?Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Discuss in what ways a youth gang as above would be considered a family unit. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Mayhew states that the necessity of finding food separates animals from plants. Humans also must work for a living. Someone who is physically or mentally unable to work must rely on others, or on charity.

1. Discuss what you think separates animals from plants that are different from what Mayhew has said. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Do you think all humans should have to work for a living? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. What types of obligations do you think society has towards the physically or mentally handicapped? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,304 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample