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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 does Marvin challenge Marvella in the train station?

2. Who had Lydia been dreaming of when the phone rang?

3. In "The Store", where does the protagonist commit his offense?

4. Where is Jack Lawrence originally from?

5. What does Marcus call the dreadlock man?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Samuel Jr. react when he learns that his sister has kept contact with their father over the years?

2. Describe the woman Mildred's husband had an affair with.

3. Discuss the significance of the title of "His Mother's House".

4. Explain how Santiago makes money.

5. Discuss the infighting that occurs amongst the Gospelteers.

6. Why was the protagonist of "The Store" initially hesitant to respond to the ad in the paper?

7. In "An Orange Line Train to Ballston", describe the opening of the story.

8. Describe Lydia's lifestyle in "Lost in the City".

9. Why does Santiago's grandmother ban him from her house?

10. Describe the first job the protagonist has in "The Store".

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the role and characterization of the police officers in the work. How do the police interact with the characters in Jones' stories? Is the relationship between the characters and the police officers antagonistic? Respectful? What might Jones be saying about the treatment this community receives from its police officers in this collection?

Essay Topic 2

In the background of each of the stories in the collection, the framework of the government and legal structure appears to hinder or support the characters. Selecting at least 2 or 3 of the stories in the collection, analyze Jones' commentary regarding the success or failure of the U.S. government to provide for the people of this community. Does Jones seem to think that the government has failed its people? Or, that it does a good job protecting their rights? Or, is his commentary perhaps more nuanced? Provide details from the text to support your argument.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the role of community in the stories throughout this collection. How do people form community in Jones' work? What do their communities mean in their daily lives? What is Jones' commentary about the significance of community and social interaction?

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This section contains 986 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample