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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. Why is it strange for Mother to keep servants?

2. What does Paul hope to win his mother's love from?

3. What secret do the children all know about Mother?

4. Who is with Paul's uncle when he first sees Paul on his favorite toy?

5. What do Paul and Barrett often talk about?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mr. Barrett make a lot of his money?

2. What does the house say to the children?

3. How do Paul's sisters feel when they watch him play with his favorite toy?

4. Why does Oscar take Paul to the horse races?

5. What is Oscar addicted to?

6. What is strange about Paul's first bet at the horse races?

7. How does Oscar respond when he sees what Paul's first bet at the horse races is?

8. Who is Barrett?

9. Who is Mother's most important servant, and why?

10. Why does Mother say she is so poor?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role did money play in this short story, and do you agree with the message the author was trying to send through this inclusion of the theme of money?

Essay Topic 2

What are your feelings about luck after reading this story, and how did the importance placed on luck by the main characters in this book change that ideal?

Essay Topic 3

Please describe how Paul used the rocking horse, and what symbolism this had on the book.

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This section contains 613 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample