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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 does Mildred notice as she speaks to the woman?

2. How much did the copy of the trial manuscript cost?

3. What does the police officer force the protagonist to do as punishment for crossing the street illegally?

4. After Humphrey falls asleep on the couch, what falls out of his pocket?

5. Where did Lydia send her mother as 65th birthday present?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What does the protagonist of "The Store" do when Penny decides to sell the store?

5. How does Mansfield's mistress talk to Lydia about her husband?

6. In "A Butterfly on F Street", describe Mildred's mental state.

7. Discuss the way the dreadlock man responds to Marvella's children.

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

9. In "The Store", how does the protagonist begin his employment at the grocery store?

10. Explain how Santiago makes money.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Selecting at least 3 stories, discuss the way in which Jones comments on marriage in this collection. Is his outlook on marriage positive or negative? Is it perhaps more nuanced than that? What factors does he explore in the marital relationship? How do these various factors explain the success or failure of the marriages in the stories? How do these stories work to form a broader commentary on marriage in American society?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Jones' commentary on the Social Security system in "Marie." How does his creation of the character Marie and his account of her troubles comment on the state of Social Security in the nation? Which details of Marie's story most strongly support Jones'scommentary? Why does he craft Marie the way he does? What is he saying about the way the country treats the elderly?

Essay Topic 3

Explore the ways in which class is portrayed in the collection. Referencing at least three different characters and/or stories, discuss the presentation of the upper-, middle-, and lower-classes in this collection. With whom does Jones seem to side? Which characters are portrayed with the most sympathy? Which seem to be most constrained or affected by their class status? What is Jones' message regarding class in this collection?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 983 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample