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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. Why did some young costers commit petty crimes?

2. What type of freedom did costers enjoy that other workers did not?

3. How did the police sometimes help crossing sweeps?

4. Why did some costermonger parents require their children to work?

5. Who did not usually bother to wash up even before eating or sleeping?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What were the general appearance of chimney sweeps and who most often worked in this type of work and why did they?

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

4. How honest were costers' suppliers and how did the costers deal with dishonesty?

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

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

7. Where did most costermongers and their families live

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

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

10. Who hired dustmen and how did they do their work?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Recent immigrants look down on the newly arrived, especially if there is a difference in race, nationality or religion. This is illustrated in Mayhew's attitude towards the Jewish residents, and their mutual disdain for recent Irish immigrants.

1. What emotional motivations might be given for recent immigrants to look down on newly arrived immigrants? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. What financial motivations might be given for recent immigrants to look down on newly arrived immigrants? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Discuss some ways in which the prejudice of one nationality or religion against another might be ended. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Unlike costermongers, crossing sweepers and mudlarks, who were almost destitute, street entertainers seemed motivated partly by ego, by the urge to perform before an audience.

1. Explain how the desire to have people see a person perform could motivate that person to give up a good home to obtain that desire. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Discuss what you would do if you had to choose between performing a song you were very good at before 1000 people for no money or performing that song before two people and being paid.

3. Do you think a person should choose a career she/he is interested in but receives poor compensation or choose a career that makes more money but does not interest the person? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,320 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample