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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 Wing do before he cries in front of George?

2. What does the doctor read to the girl in the winter?

3. How old is Wing at the end of this story?

4. How does George feel at the end of the story when he is at the drug store?

5. Who does the tall, dark girl think she marries?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Elmer feel about his family?

2. What happens the second time Elmer tries to talk to George?

3. What does Joe tell George about decay in "A Man of Ideas"?

4. What does the drunken stranger say about women and love to Tom and Tandy?

5. What makes it difficult for the carpenter to finish his job in "The Book of the Grotesque" and why?

6. Why does Tom and his grandmother move to Winesburg?

7. How does the writer come up with "The Book of the Grotesque"?

8. What happens one summer evening in George and Helen's past that George reflects upon?

9. Why does George decide to not ask Wing about his hands?

10. Even though Seth is called the "deep one", how is this untrue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Some readers describe "Winesburg, Ohio" as being amoral. What supports the lack of morality in this novel? Do you agree with this description? Why/why not?

Essay Topic 2

Select two stories that feature the same character (other than George Willard). How is the character represented in each story? What is the character's role? Is there any growth in the character? What accounts for these differences? What does this character mean to the novel overall?

Essay Topic 3

Several characters in this novel are lonely. Analyze three characters in terms of their loneliness. Why do they feel alienated? What do they do in response to this alienation? How is loneliness a theme in the novel and what is it representative of?

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