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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 Solomon Bradford tell Simon about his fiddling job?

2. Where did Doris lose her glasses?

3. Where does Doris live?

4. Whose daughter is getting married?

5. Who strikes Simon at a dinner party?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Simon stay while in Houston?

2. Where is Banquete?

3. Who does Simon dance with at a gig?

4. How much time does Doris have left on her labor contract?

5. Where does Simon meet Solomon Bradford?

6. How does Simon communicate with Doris without the Colonel's knowledge?

7. What does Josephina remember about Simon?

8. What do Simon's coworkers call him?

9. Why does Colonel Webb scold Doris?

10. Why does Doris tell Simon she can no longer write him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you explore Doris's relationship to music. What kind of music does Doris like to hear and play? Is music as important to her as it is to Simon? Use evidence from the text as support.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you explore the long term effect that the war has on Simon and on the country at large, as seen through his travels through the South. In what ways has the war changed the nation as a whole? Use evidence from the text as support.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you explore the theme of power. There are many instances throughout the novel that demonstrate a struggle for power, particularly in the case of the post-war South but also simply between individual characters. Who is afforded power throughout the novel? What does is take to acquire power, or to take it from others? Use evidence from the text as support.

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This section contains 500 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample