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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 Nick hear coming from Gatsby’s home on summer nights?

2. Who is the slender young woman with the charming face that emanates discontent whom Nick meets at dinner with the Buchanan’s?

3. What object does Nick remind Daisy of?

4. When Nick finds out Miss Baker’s name is Jordan, where does he remember seeing her before?

5. What gossip does Miss Baker share with Nick when Daisy leaves the room?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Nick first meet Tom’s mistress, Myrtle Wilson?

2. How does Nick describe the Valley of Ashes?

3. Why did Gatsby buy his house in West Egg?

4. Describe why Nick likes life in New York.

5. How does Myrtle Wilson come to own an Airedale puppy?

6. What are Tom’s views on minority races?

7. What fascinates Nick on summer nights as he looks across at Gatsby’s mansion?

8. What does Gatsby tell Nick about Meyer Wolfsheim when they have lunch together?

9. What does the narrator, Nick Carraway, reveal in the first chapter about how he judges other people?

10. What is Myrtle’s opinion of her husband?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the main themes in the novel is the pursuit of the American Dream. Explain the similarities and differences in how Daisy, Nick, Tom and Gatsby try to achieve their individual version of the American Dream. Which of the characters was the most successful in achieving the American Dream? Explain your view.

Essay Topic 2

Summarize how F. Scott Fitzgerald uses local color and imagery to describe Gatsby’s mansion. Cite descriptive examples of rooms, décor, landscaping, and his view of the harbor. Does the imagery Fitzgerald uses depict a clear and accurate picture of the mansion and the surrounding landscape?

Essay Topic 3

Fitzgerald describes the settings in the novel in great detail. Describe the different settings in the novel and explain the contribution of each setting to the story. Are these settings essential for the storyline or could the story have happened anywhere? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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