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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. Where is the most diseased meat sent?

2. Who is the character in charge of the wedding?

3. Who is in jail at the start of this chapter?

4. Where does Jurgis wait instead of going in to meet his boss?

5. Who has been pressured into prostituting herself?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Jurgis decline to be in the union at first?

2. Who is Jurgis overcome with worry over?

3. Why can't Jurgis' father find work?

4. What happens at Marija's job at the beef trimming factory?

5. What holiday occurs during the time that Jurgis is in jail?

6. What is one of the ways the slaughterhouse bosses cheat the men out of money?

7. Who wanted Ona and Jurgis to have a lavish wedding, even though they would have been fine with something simpler?

8. What does Ona suggest she do in order to marry Jurgis more quickly?

9. Which character could be described as young, strong, and full of optimism?

10. What begins to happen to Ona in this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sinclair makes it pretty clear in the text the he feels socialism is the answer to the world's problems. Did you think Sinclair's arguments were convincing? Why or why not? How does socialism help Jurgis in this story?

Essay Topic 2

Jurgis has a motto of "I will work harder." Does this attitude ever help Jurgis? Describe how. List at least two situations in which this positive attitude does not help Jurgis? Do you think this is a good motto to live by? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The narrator of the story is Sinclair himself, which gives the story a different tone than most other novels. That said, how do you think Sinclair's narration has affected the story? What does this story say about Sinclair? Do you think the story could have been told more truthfully by Jurgis? What would have happened if the story had been told from the meat packer manager's point of view?

(see the answer keys)

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