View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The story about which person or people leaves the reader hanging most?

2. What are Philippa's parents?

3. What did the "Old Yankee" run?

4. Why did people make so many purchases from Barbee's shop?

5. Which person was known as Houdini in Harlem?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the message behind the story about Peggy?

2. Why did Mitchell lose interest in Joe?

3. Why did Barbee own a terrapin shop and why did many people purchase them?

4. How did people feel about the scam Commodore Dutch put on?

5. Why did Jane choose not to shave her beard?

6. How does technology affect Mr. Flood and Mr. Cusack?

7. Why did Louis insist on ending the visit to the upper floors of his building?

8. Why did Jane choose to live the circus life?

9. Why is the memory of being hit by a cow significant to Cassell's story?

10. What is the significance of the rats in the street at night?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What message about self-acceptance do you think Mitchell tries to send through stories like that of Peggy?

Essay Topic 2

Which story in Up in the Old Hotel and Other Stories is the most remarkable? How does Mitchell make this story remarkable?

Essay Topic 3

Poole is one character who seems quite sure that everything is always getting worse. Explore this concept in terms of other short stories and subjects in these stories to argue for or against Poole's point. What does Mitchell seem to think about this idea?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 871 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample