View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the women do once Pete is soundly in a drunken sleep?

2. Where does Nellie say she wants to go with Pete?

3. As Chapter 12 opens, what are Pete and Maggie doing?

4. As punishment for corrupting Maggie, what does Jimmie threaten to do to Pete?

5. Who does Maggie meet as she wanders among the rows of houses?

Short Essay Questions

1. How might Maggie's story be different if the stout gentleman she encounters in the suburbs stops to help her?

2. What does Jimmie do when the policeman arrives to break up the saloon fight?

3. How does Pete rationalize his lack of guilt in the situation with Maggie?

4. Compare the attitude of the Rum Alley tenement crowd toward Maggie with the attitude Maggie had toward the "painted" women in Chapter 12.

5. Why is Mudder raving when Jimmie finally comes home after his saloon fight?

6. What are the true motives of the women surrounding Pete at the saloon in Chapter 18?

7. Why does the "painted" girl direct her glances toward the rural, less educated men?

8. How do Jimmie and his companion get Pete's attention after they sit down at the bar?

9. How do attitudes change toward the "painted" girl as she moves through the various districts of the city?

10. What is ironic about Mudders condemnation of Maggie's evil ways?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the effectiveness of the book in each of the following areas:

A) Overall theme.

B) Characterization.

C) Plot.

D) Use of literary devices (symbolism, metaphor, etc.).

Essay Topic 3

Maggie emerges into young adulthood as the indisputable beauty of Rum Alley. The "philosophers" of Rum Alley debate how Maggie underwent such a dramatic physical transformation. They also discuss her beauty in terms of its potential consequences. Is Maggie's beauty an asset or a liability for her? Support your answer with evidence from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 975 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample