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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 Tateh have that finally makes them money?

2. Why does Evelyn call the old man Tateh?

3. What do Mameh, Tateh, and the Little Girl do to make a living?

4. Who was in the opposite cell of The Tombs as the great escape artist worked his feat?

5. Why is Houdini brooding while walking the streets of New York?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Evelyn doing with Younger Brother after Tateh and The girl leave?

2. What does the Franklin Novelty Company do with Tateh's books?

3. What does newspaperman Riis find when he goes to the docks to interview Stanford white about housing for the poor?

4. How are Tateh and The Girl rescued from being separated?

5. What is the nature of Evelyn's testimony in Harry's trial?

6. What becomes the fashion among the rich in turn of the century America?

7. Why does socialite Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish bring Houdini and circus freaks to her house?

8. What does Evelyn see when she goes with Tateh to a socialist meeting?

9. What does The Boy recover from the trash?

10. What is it that Evelyn Nesbit does not understand when she sees The Girl tied to her father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a paper comparing Evelyn Nesbit with notorious movie stars of the 20th century. A good comparison might be to Marilyn Monroe. Compare their beginnings, Evelyn's posing nude for a statue and Marilyn appearing nude in Playboy Magazine, their notoriety in the press, and their many romantic entanglements. Doctorow suggests that Evelyn is the model for all the show business women who followed her. This should be a fun paper to write.

Essay Topic 2

Look up information on Henry Ford and the assembly line production of Model-T cars and write a brief paper. What did Ford's assembly line have to do with Coalhouse Walker's ability to own a brand new Model-T? What does Coalhouse's car symbolize to the men at Emerald Isle Fire Station? Does ownership of the car give Coalhouse an air of superiority? Analyze how the car might have affected Father who never really liked Coalhouse. When Father and The Boy go into New York to the Giants game, they take the train. Even though he can afford a car, why does the family not seem to have one?

Essay Topic 3

On their trip out of New York, Tateh observes a completely different country from what he had known in New York. Doctorow says that for the first time Tateh began to think he might be able to live in America. Use examples of what Tateh and The Girl see on their trip that are so different from anything they had ever seen in New York and explain how those sights began to change Tateh's outlook on America. Then look at Freud's visit to New York and what they force him to go see. Give your opinion as to whether Freud might have had a different opinion of America if he had seen the more rural side of the country.

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This section contains 800 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample