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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. Who is arrested after Coalhouse takes over the museum?

2. What is Father's relationship with Mother after he returns from the Arctic?

3. Who does Younger Brother attach himself to in Mexico?

4. What had Morgan once done for the U.S. government?

5. Who in the family understands and admires Coalhouse?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does J. P. Morgan want to meet with Henry Ford?

2. How have the fortunes of Tateh and The girl changed?

3. How do the police learn about the history of Coalhouse Walker, Jr.?

4. What causes the theater to shake where Houdini is performing?

5. What becomes fashionable because of Morgan's obsession with Egyptology?

6. What is Sarah's funeral like?

7. Why is Emma Goldman arrested after Coalhouse takes over the museum?

8. What causes Younger Brother to run out of the parlor one evening after dinner?

9. After Coalhouse arranges for his gang to escape, what happens to him?

10. When the police cannot find Coalhouse, what does Father do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gather information of President Howard Taft and write a short paper about him. Taft's rise to power corresponded with the turn of the century idea that obesity, especially in men, was a sign of material success. Taft weighed over 300 pounds and it is said that a special bathtub had to be installed in the White House to accommodate him. Your paper should include characters in the book as examples of men who fit that accepted image of success. By contrast Houdini and Younger Brother are of athletic build and represent change in the novel. Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Write your personal review of RAGTIME and make a recommendation for other readers. Write this paper as though you are a book reviewer for a large newspaper or national magazine. Be honest about what you liked or did not like about the book. [That it was required reading in class does not count as a reason to dislike the book.] Be specific when giving your reasons by quoting passages from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Do some research and write a brief paper on J. Pierpont Morgan. Political cartoons of his time pictured Morgan as being bigger than Uncle Sam. In fact, he did bail out the U.S. economy at one time. There is even an undertone of racism in Morgan in the novel when he cables the D. A. to give Coalhouse his auto and hang him. From your research, explain how Doctorow's use of Morgan in the novel is believable.

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