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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. If made public, what effect would the Black Box plans have?

2. How many people of color had been trained as elevator inspectors when Lila Mae was studying to become one?

3. What is true about James Fulton at the beginning of the novel?

4. What does Chancre promise the media?

5. Why does Reed send Lila Mae to Marie Claire?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was significant about Elisha Otis' invention of the safety brake?

2. What is Empiricism?

3. Who is Johnny Shush?

4. What does Lila Mae Watson do for a living?

5. Who is Natchez?

6. Why does Reed send Lila Mae to Marie Claire?

7. What happens to Urich?

8. How did Lila Mae get the Fanny Briggs assignment?

9. What kind of student was Lila Mae at elevator school?

10. What promise does Chancre make to the press?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay examining the character of James Fulton. Why is he a critical character even though he had been dead for decades at the opening of the book? What are the secrets surrounding Fulton and his work and how do these secrets and revelations play into the novel's themes?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay discussing the events of the Funicular Follies. Consider what occurs both on and off stage, and why the author chooses to present this scene in such detail.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that explores the excerpts from Fulton's writings throughout the book. What does Fulton write about and how do his ideas play into the themes of the novel? Why does the author choose to offer these excerpts, in the sequence and at the points they appear?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 601 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample