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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. Who is August, the man Marlena is speaking to in the prologue?

2. Why does Jacob return to school?

3. Where is Jacob taken after it is decided he will remain with the circus to examine a sick animal?

4. What does Jacob's doctor believe has caused his recent outburst?

5. Why does Jacob help Marlena with her horse?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does elderly Jacob spend his day doing?

2. What job does Jacob take on the first morning when the train stops?

3. What does the doctor prescribe for Jacob?

4. What does Jacob conclude about Marlena's horse?

5. What does Jacob witness when he goes in search of Marlena?

6. Where does Jacob go after walking out on his final exams?

7. What does Marlena ask Jacob about her horse?

8. Who comes to Jacob's defense? Why?

9. What does Camel promise Jacob?

10. How many children does Jacob have?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Rosie? Why is Rosie important to the plot? Why does it take so long for people to figure out that Rosie speaks Polish? Why does Rosie speak Polish? How does learning this change the way Rosie is treated? How does August treat Rosie? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Jacob's family. How does the death of Jacob's parents influence his decision to join the circus as a young man? How does the fact that his son forgot it was his day to visit influence Jacob into joining the circus the second time? What does Jacob's choice say about his state of mind? What do these choices say about Jacob's feelings toward his family, both as a young man and an old man?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of greed. Why is greed a theme in this novel? What characters are influenced by greed? How do the actions of these characters affect the main characters? How would this novel have progressed differently if greed were not a theme? Would the novel change drastically without the greed of certain characters? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 788 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample