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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. The young woman on whom the narrator first focuses is wearing a green what?

2. The narrator says that from the front doors of the A and P, he can see what kind of store?

3. What does the young woman the narrator calls "Queenie" (5) present for purchase?

4. The narrator describes the young woman to whom he refers as "Queenie" (5) as being "more than" (3) what?

5. Stokesie says to Sammy, "I feel" (7) what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the way in which Sammy objectifies the three young women.

2. Besides dressing differently than everyone else in the store, how else do the young women stand out?

3. What is Stokesie's career goal?

4. On what evidence does Sammy base his conclusion that one particular young woman is the leader?

5. Provide evidence for the conclusion that there are many people in Sammy's town who are set in their ways.

6. Cite and discuss a unique simile used by Updike within the story.

7. How is the motif of sexuality included within the story?

8. What does Sammy mean when he describes Stokesie "finding his voice" (9)?

9. What is Stokesie's family situation?

10. What sorts of details does Updike use to portray the appearance of the store and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a critical essay about “A and P” while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the story's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of Updike’s story “A and P” and one of the story's main messages. How does Updike make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help Updike get across one main message of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Look carefully at Sammy’s language use throughout the story. What is Updike’s purpose for shaping Sammy’s voice in the way that he does? For example, why does Updike often choose to put grammatically incorrect phrasing into Sammy’s mouth, while also choosing a word like “hereafter” (32) for Sammy’s final line of narration within the story?

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