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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. On what street is the candy store located?

2. What does Tommy sell in the store?

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

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

5. Where did Tommy go when he learned he was supposed to marry Rosa?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Tommy get in trouble?

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

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

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

5. Who were the shoe boys?

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

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

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

9. What type of schedule does Tommy keep?

10. What is Tommy's life like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

What readers know about events and characters in a story is determined by the point of view. What is the point of view in The Prison? How does the point of view influence what readers know about characters and events?

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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