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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. For whom does Mac throw a party when his business partner is very successful?

2. Who meets Eleanor and Eveline in New York?

3. What is the name of the man who occupies the upper berth of the train compartment that Janey is traveling in?

4. According to the Americans, where can Mac find work?

5. In the brief bio section of the Newsreel in pages 283-304, whose biography is discussed?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Eleanor befriend Miss Eliza Perkins?

2. How does Eleanor's employment situation change when Eveline returns from Europe?

3. What does Mac do when the Zapata arrives in Mexico City?

4. What effect does the war have on Ward's relationship with Gertrude and his work?

5. What does Charley do for work in Minneapolis when he moves there?

6. How does Janey change when she lives in New York?

7. How did Janey become the personal secretary of J. Ward Moorehouse?

8. What does Ward want in his line of work, and how does he achieve it?

9. How does Mac act in a similar fashion in Mexico City as he did in California?

10. What happens that makes Janey feel that she has made the "big time" at work?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Eleanor. What is her role in the story? How does she compare with the other four main characters? What struggles must she overcome? What was the author trying to accomplish by creating Eleanor's character in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

The 42nd Parallel was known as the major storm path across North America. The 42nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 42 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The 42nd Parallel of latitude runs right through the heart of the United States. What do you think of John dos Passos' choice of title for the book? Is it appropriate? Explain. How does this title relate to the five characters of Fainy McCreary (Mac), Janey, J. Ward Moorehouse, Eleanor Stoddard, and Charley Anderson?

Essay Topic 3

The intimate relationships of men and women in the 42nd Parallel are complicated. Sex and love are associated often with power. Fidelity is questionable, and marriage is often a choice to accommodate pregnancy. What do you think of the relationships between men and women in the 42nd Parallel? Are they promising? Are they depressing? Are they realistic? Share your thoughts.

(see the answer keys)

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