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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 Jacob discover when he returns to his room?

2. Who does Jacob see beating a stampeding Rosie?

3. Why does August give Marlena a black eye?

4. Elderly Jacob suffers two disappointments in chapter 19. What is the second?

5. What does Uncle Al want Rosie to do during the show?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does August react to Marlena's injuries?

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

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

5. What does Uncle Al want young Jacob to do in the aftermath of Marlena's choice to leave August?

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

7. Why are Camel and Walter thrown from the train?

8. Why is the train raided in Poughkeepsie?

9. Who becomes ill, forcing Jacob to examine him?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Prohibition. What is Prohibition? Why was it enacted? How does it affect the common man? How does pPohibition play a role in this novel? Who is directly affected by Prohibition? Who is indirectly affected? Why do you think the author chose to set her novel during prohibition? How would the novel be different if the author had set the story in a different era? Whose life would have been different? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Jacob's education. What is Jacob studying in school? Why does Jacob not finish his degree? How close is Jacob to being finished? Why does Jacob choose not to finish? How does Jacob's education help him get a job with the circus?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss independence as a theme of the novel. What is independence? How does Jacob feel his independence has been taken from him? Is Jacob right in thinking this? Should a man Jacob's age have more independence or less? Why? Should Jacob be allowed to care for himself and make his own choices? If not, who should have this responsibility? Why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 851 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample