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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 two physical characteristics make Pete seem formidable?

2. What is Jimmie standing on as he curses his opponents in the street fight?

3. What kind of girl does Chapter 5 say that Maggie grows up to be?

4. How does the air in the collar and cuff factory make Maggie feel?

5. When Jimmie grabs Mudder to take her home, what is her response?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Jimmie's attitude toward well-dressed men?

2. Why does Jimmie have such great respect for fire engines?

3. Describe the behavior of the audience during the first act of the show.

4. What is the significance of Maggie choosing to go out with Pete at the end of Chapter 9?

5. When the author uses the phrase "a young man of leather" to describe Jimmie, what does he mean?

6. Describe the setting of the opening scene of Chapter 1.

7. Why are Maggie's spirits so lifted by the plays she and Pete attend?

8. What is the condition of the apartment when Maggie and Pete leave on Friday night? What is Mudder's condition?

9. Why do Jimmie and Blue Billie fight in Chapter 1?

10. How does Mudder express her anger with Jimmie's fighting?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Pete's reappearance in Jimmie's life so dramatically impact Maggie's satisfaction with her own life? List and describe at least four areas of life that become increasingly unsatisfactory to Maggie as her relationship with Pete develops. What steps does Maggie take to improve these areas of her life? What does this say about her?

Essay Topic 2

In the early chapters of the book, we see the disciplinary styles of both Mudder and Fader. How do we see these things reemerge in the adult lives of Jimmie and Maggie? Cite at least four specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

How is the saloon in Chapter 11 a metaphor for Pete's life? Discuss both internal and external characteristics.

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