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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. When Mac's Uncle Tim dies, what does Mac do that angers his wife?

2. What does Fainy discover when he is waiting for Mannie Bingham?

3. Whom does Mac meet in the park in Los Angeles that is an old friend of his?

4. What does Ike teach Fainy to do?

5. Where was Moorehouse a top salesman?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Mac's life as a child.

2. Where does Janey work in Washington DC? What knowledge does she acquire?

3. What occurs at Mrs. Kovach's house when Fainy and Bingham spend the night?

4. Who is Alice, and what effect does she have on Janey?

5. What does Ike do that leaves Mac stranded?

6. Who is Annabelle Marie Strang, and why is she important to Johnny?

7. What effect did Uncle Tim have on Mac?

8. What could Maisie have done to keep Mac in Los Angeles with her?

9. When Fainy accepts a job with Doc Bingham, what does he learn about his new place of employment right away?

10. What is the only question that Fainy asks about his job?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a brief character study of Mac. What does he look like? What are his positive personality traits? What are some of his negative characteristics? What are his hopes and fears? What motivates him at this point in his life?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of loss. Identify at least two themes about loss in the 42nd Parallel. Then cite an example to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

John Dos Passos offers a compelling narrative told in an unorthodox and experimental fashion using "Newsreels" with blaring headlines, autobiographical "Camera Eye" sections with poetic stream-of-consciousness, and "biographies" evoking emblematic historical figures like J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, John Reed, Frank Lloyd Wright, Thorstein Veblen, and the Unknown Soldier. Do you find this style interesting to read? Are you able to follow the story line easily, or are these changes erratic and confusing for you as a reader? Does John dos Passos offer powerful storytelling that holds your attention? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 862 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample