View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When he was in Pittsburgh, at whose house did Ward lodge?

2. Where is Charley Anderson from?

3. While Eleanor remains in New York, where does Eveline go?

4. What does Annabelle do without telling Ward that disturbs him?

5. Where does a strike occur that results in violence, press coverage, and investigations?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Janey quit her job and look for new work?

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

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

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

5. What happens when Charley's girlfriend gets pregnant?

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

7. When Mac arrives in Mexico City, what changes does he experience in his employment?

8. Initially, what decision does Johnny make about Annabelle in pages 151-172?

9. When Eveline and Eleanor's business fails, what job opportunity do they take?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Janey and Ward are two of the main characters of the 42nd Parallel.

Part 1) What is their relationship? How do they coexist, and how do they interact? What is similar about them, and what is different?

Part 2) What are some events that Ward directly influenced? What are some events that Janey directly influenced?

Part 3) Which character offers support to other characters? Which one is stronger and why?

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

Pregnancy is an issue that arises in many of the stories of the 42nd Parallel. How is Maisie's pregnancy different from the pregnancy of Annabelle or Emsecah? How do the male partners in these different situations respond? Do they stick by the women or run? How is marriage thus portrayed as a result? Do you find these views pessimistic? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 803 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample