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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 Mudder do all day Friday?

2. Because of her thoughts of Pete, what does Chapter 8 say that Maggie grows to dislike?

3. In the opening scene of Chapter 1, what are the boys throwing at each other?

4. Who is Mudder trying to start a fight with after she enters the tenement building?

5. What is Maggie's impression of Pete?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. When Maggie comes out of the room after Jimmie's fight with Mudder, what does she see?

3. What is Jimmie's attitude toward Mudder when he finds her yelling in the tenement hallway?

4. Describe Pete's appearance as he sits in the apartment with Maggie and Jimmie in Chapter 5.

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

6. Describe the old woman who lives near Jimmie and Maggie.

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

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

9. How do the neighbors react to the fight between Mudder and Fader?

10. Describe the fear that begins to rise in Maggie's heart as she looks at the people around her.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the plays Pete and Maggie go to see as metaphors for Maggie's life. Identify the three main characters in these plays and explain how each serves as a metaphor for people in Maggie's life.

Essay Topic 2

Both police and firefighters are in positions of authority, but Jimmie has very different emotions and reactions toward these two groups. Compare and contrast Jimmie's hostility towards police and his admiration for fire engines.

Essay Topic 3

What event represents the turning point of the story? Identify the climax and explain its significance to any three of the following characters:

A) Maggie.

B) Pete.

C) Mudder.

D) Jimmie.

E) Nellie.

(see the answer keys)

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