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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 does Jacob attempt to kill?

2. What is August suspicious of?

3. What does Jacob discover when he returns to his room?

4. Who breaks up the fight?

5. What does Jacob discover about Rosie?

Short Essay Questions

1. What warning does Jacob receive that something might happen during the show that night?

2. How does Jacob convince Uncle Al to keep August from Marlena?

3. What happens when Jacob has too much to drink?

4. What happens when Rosie is forced to participate in the Grand Spec before she is prepared?

5. What does elderly Jacob learn about Rosemary that upsets him?

6. What does Uncle Al use to increase ticket sales?

7. What surprise does Marlena arrange for August after Rosie's first successful show?

8. Why is the train raided in Poughkeepsie?

9. What happens after Jacob and Marlena escape the club?

10. How does August react to Marlena's surprise?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the death of Jacob's parents. How does this death affect Jacob? What does Jacob's parents leave their son after their deaths? How do the deaths of his parents leave Jacob's future plans irrevocably changed? Why does Jacob react to these deaths by boarding a circus train?

Essay Topic 2

Who is Jacob, the elderly man? Why is Jacob living in the assisted-living center? What does Jacob feel the center has taken from him? Why does Jacob resist the help of the nurses? Why does Jacob dislike the new resident, the lawyer who claims to have brought water to elephants as a young man? Why does Jacob not believe this man's claims? How would Jacob know?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss setting. What is the setting of this novel? How does the setting of this novel directly affect the actions and behaviors of the characters? What is most significant about the setting in this novel? Why do you think the author chose this setting for her novel? Would the novel's plot work if the setting had been different, such as set in the future or the more immediate past? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 798 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample