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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 is one thing positive Mayhew says about crossing sweeps?

2. What did shovelers do?

3. What did few adult Jews seldom work as?

4. Who were the forerunners to doormen?

5. At about what age did many costermonger children begin to sell?

Short Essay Questions

1. What area of trade did the Jewish traders dominant and what did Ragmen do?

2. Where did most costermongers and their families live

3. How did some crossing sweep get permanent jobs and why were they given the jobs?

4. What were some of the positive aspects of being a costermonger?

5. How did crossing sweeps earn a living?

6. What was the usual marriage and family situations like with costermongers?

7. How much money did sifters make, what did they do and why did they do it?

8. How did the costermongers obtain their merchandise and what were the circumstances for borrowing?

9. What were the largest group of London street people and what did they do for a living?

10. How did some youths work a crossing sweep job and what other ways did they make money?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Mayhew seems to genuinely believe that certain occupations like mudlark or dustman are hereditary, rather than learned.

1. Discuss why you think Mayhew was wrong or right in his belief about the occupations being hereditary. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Discuss how Mayhew's belief of lower level occupations being hereditary shows prejudice towards his research subjects. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. How do you think Mayhew's prejudices affected his ability to research the lives of the mudlarks or dustmen? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Bolder boys sometimes climbed onto empty coal barges and swept up the leavings of the cargo. This was considered theft, and they were usually chased off by the owners. Sometimes one would be arrested and sent to jail for a week. Like coster children, they regarded a week in relatively warm, safe surroundings with regular meals as a vacation.

1. Do you think the sweepings of coal left behind should be considered theft? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Discuss what the fact that some children regarded the jail as a vacation says about the coster children's lives. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Discuss ways in which you see coster children as being abused in general in this era in London. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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