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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 the girl's mother do for a living?

2. What color lobster does Tommy remember catching?

3. How does Tommy describe the girl's mother?

4. Who told Tommy that he had to throw the lobster back?

5. What does the girl want to buy who comes into the store?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Tommy consider doing when he sees the girl stealing?

2. What does a ten-year-old girl buy and why?

3. What type of day is Tommy having when a young girl comes into the store?

4. How does Tommy compare the ten-year-old girl who comes to the store with her mother?

5. Why did a cop tell Tommy and Uncle Dom to throw back a lobster they caught, and why did they keep the lobster?

6. How does Tommy notice that the girl steals some candy bars?

7. What does Tommy remember catching with his uncle Dom once?

8. What does Tommy remember doing with his Uncle Dom?

9. What are Tommy's thoughts when he brings the paper to the girl?

10. How is the girl different from other kids who come into the store?

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

Backstories are used to present information about events that happened before situations in a story. How do backstories provide insight into Tommy’s life? What is the importance of backstories in The Prison?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 720 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample