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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 woman in #104 do to Joe when he falls asleep?

2. What does Danny buy for Sweets?

3. What seems to puzzle Teresina Cortez?

4. After Petey gets married, who does his father begin to lust after?

5. What happens when the children eat the pilfered food?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the sad life of Tall Bob Smoke.

2. Who does Jesus Maria encounter in the company of a policeman and what does Jesus Maria do in the situation?

3. Who is Petey Ravanno and what is his relationship with Gracie?

4. How do the paisanos help Teresina when the bean crop fails and she cannot feed her eight children?

5. Who is Tia Ignacia and with which one of the paisanos does she have a romantic interlude?

6. What do the paisanos do to Joe after he steals the Pirate's bag of quarters?

7. Who is Dolores Engracia (Sweets) Ramirez and what is her interest in Danny?

8. What are the sleeping arrangements at Danny's house with all the paisanos at home?

9. What does the story about the vacuum cleaner show about Danny's personality? How does it impact Sweets' social standing create justified anger in Torrelli?

10. What is unusual about the diet of Teresina's children and the manner in which they eat?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Danny and the boys are forced to be very resourceful. Give some examples of behaviors exhibited by Danny and the boys that indicate that they know how to get what they need in spite of their obvious lack of typical resources. Would you say that Danny and the boys are creative? Or do they simply use people to avoid work? Do you think you could be friends with Danny and the boys? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Steinbeck populates Tortilla Flat with several eccentric characters. Who are the eccentrics in the novel? What makes them eccentric? Do you have a favorite eccentric in the book? Why? What makes him/her so appealing to you?

Essay Topic 3

Steinbeck clearly likes to have fun with his readers. Name some examples of humor in this book. Which characters are especially prone to humorous behavior? Which are not? Why does Steinbeck use humor? Is he trying to balance somber stories or does he just find life to be funny most of the time, at least in this story?

(see the answer keys)

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