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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 did Tommy feel after the mess with the holdup?

3. How old was Tony when he dropped out of vocational school?

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

5. What type of business did Tommy rob with the shoe boys?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How did Tommy get in trouble?

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

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

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

6. What is Tommy's life like?

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

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

9. Who were the shoe boys?

10. What type of schedule does Tommy keep?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mood is an element that authors use to evoke feelings in readers through the use of descriptive language. Mood is the overall feeling that readers have when reading a story. What is the overall mood of The Prison?

Essay Topic 2

In The Prison, Tommy is the only round or dynamic character. What is the importance of the other characters as flat or static characters? When there is conflict, what role do these characters play?

Essay Topic 3

Accumulation is a literary device that allows an author to gather scattered ideas in a literary work and gradually build on information readers need to know. From whose perspective is The Prison told? How does Malamud use accumulation to advance the plot and provide readers with important details about Tommy and his life?

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This section contains 781 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample