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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 happens to Jules at school?

2. Why do Jules, Maureen, and Betty fail to bond with their parents?

3. Why is Pat in jail?

4. Where are Jules and Nadine at the end of Chapter 6 of the second book?

5. What does Loretta do every night while waiting for Pat to come home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is happening to Maureen as she begins to come out of her catatonia?

2. What happens to Mrs. Wendall after Howard's death?

3. What happens when Loretta visits her father for the first time after her marriage?

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

5. How does Jules meet Bernard?

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

7. To whom does Maureen write her letters?

8. How does Loretta deal with Maureen's condition?

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

10. How does Jules seduce Nadine?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Brock is a minor character in the novel, but he plays an important role. He is the reason why Loretta meets and marries Howard, and he is also the one to bring Maureen out of her catatonia. How can these two very dissimilar actions--his murder of Bernie, and his role in Maureen's recovery--be resolved in terms of his character? Why do you think the author chooses to assign both of these important, and very different, actions to a single character? Knowing all that you do about Brock, what is your opinion of his character? Why do you think he disappears from the plot so suddenly? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

The poverty-stricken and violent lifestyle endured by Loretta, as a child, continues on to her own children. Why is the cycle perpetuated with her own children? Is there anything she could have done differently do break this cycle? What was Loretta's childhood like? How did the cycle begin? Do you think Maureen will be able to break this cycle with her own child(ren)? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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