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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. How does the barn fire start?

2. What does Pat see Maureen doing, in the last chapter of the first book?

3. What year is it at the beginning of the second book, chapter 4?

4. Why does Jules steal a car?

5. What are Maureen's responsibilities on a daily basis?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Loretta meet Howard?

2. How does Jules feel about the riot fires on the streets of Detroit?

3. How does Jules meet Bernard?

4. What is Jules doing while Maureen is recovering?

5. How does Jules get a rifle during the riot?

6. How does Jules feel after his father's funeral?

7. What does Jules tell Vera about love?

8. Why does Loretta's family move away from Detroit?

9. What happens to Howard in Chapter 10 of the first book?

10. What is the significance of the letters that Maureen writes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The pronoun "them" is not only the title of the novel, but it is an idea alluded to many times throughout the story. What does the author mean by "them"? Who is she talking about? What point is she trying to convey by grouping so many different people under a single pronoun? What effect does the usage of this term have on your perception of the characters? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Jules is involved with a series of women in his life, each of them very different from the others. Who are these women? Do they have one thing in common that attracts Jules to them? If so, what is it? How healthy are these relationships? What does each of these women have to offer Jules? What do they each take from him? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Violence is another prominent theme throughout the course of the novel. How do violent actions, perpetuated by the main characters and others, affect the lives of the main characters? What changes occur as a result of these actions? Why does the theme of violence seem so closely related with the theme of poverty? Do you think that a less poverty-stricken lifestyle would have resulted in less violence in the lives of the main characters? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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