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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 performs with Rosie?

2. Who takes Jacob to their tent?

3. What is Kinko's real name?

4. How does August react when he finds Jacob and Marlena in his tent?

5. Which animal is the most popular that day in the menagerie tent?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Jacob discover about Rosie?

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

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

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

5. What is stolen several days in a row?

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

7. What is rumored to be wrong with the elephant?

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

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

10. What does Jacob use to pay the doctor?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 806 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample