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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. Who paid to set up the candy store where Tommy works?

2. How much time does Tommy take off every afternoon to take a nap?

3. What "sick-in-the-stomach feeling" does Tommy have?

4. How much money did the shoe boys have to flash at clubs?

5. What type of food did the shoe boys have at the club?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to the slot machine Tommy put in the candy store, and how did that keep Tommy out of trouble?

2. What was Tommy like when he was a kid and went by his birth name, Tony?

3. Who were the shoe boys?

4. Why did Tommy run to Texas for a while?

5. What type of schedule does Tommy keep?

6. How did Tommy get out of trouble after the holdup?

7. What is Tommy's life like?

8. How was Tommy able to save $55 that Rosa does not know about?

9. How did Tommy get in trouble?

10. What was Rosa's reaction when Tommy put a slot machine in the candy store?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Conflicts between characters are often caused by problems and are external conflicts. Conflicts can also be internal when a character has a conflict with himself or herself. Describe a couple of conflicts in the story and whether they are external or internal conflicts.

Essay Topic 2

Setting is the place and time where a narrative takes place. What is the setting in The Prison? How does the setting evoke feelings or set the mood in the story?

Essay Topic 3

Malamud’s short story is titled The Prison. How does the title of the short story reveal the themes of imprisonment, entrapment, and confinement?

(see the answer keys)

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