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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 stood up, vague as a sleepwalker, that Ed Thatcher sees as he looks across the Narrows?

2. What does Ed do for a living?

3. What did Bud's father do to him when he was a kid?

4. What job does Gus McNeil have at the time of the accident?

5. What is the train called in New York besides the subway?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does NIWDLAB EGROEG mean?

2. What happens when Ellen runs her hand through her husband John's hair on the train?

3. What does the man with the cauliflower face complain about when Congo arrives to talk to Emile?

4. What does Jimmy say to Stan when he asks for liquor in the morning, and where has Stan come in from?

5. Why does Bud jump off the Brooklyn Bridge?

6. What does Stan say about success?

7. What does the man sitting next to Joe Harland in the Battery say of the actresses in the papers?

8. Why does Nellie call George "Mr. Baldwin"?

9. How does Stanwood Emery act toward Elaine when he first meets her?

10. How does Nicky Schatz set up the burglary of the apartment where Stan and Elaine are having an affair?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many men fawn all over Ellen as she becomes famous on Broadway. How does she react to different advances of the men in her life? Which one does she really love? What does she say about herself regarding her love for this man?

Essay Topic 2

When Ellen is a child, she and her friend Alice are walking in the park. Describe how Alice feels about going down a path that seems dangerous. How does Eleen react and what does she ultimately do? Is this an example of symbolism, metaphor, foreshadowing, or allegory?

Essay Topic 3

Advertising on a large scale is touched on in the book. Pick a few instances where advertising is being described. What does the author mean by including them in various places? How does it affect the characters?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 699 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample