View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Morris average for the last two weeks in December?

2. What happens to Morris when he is moving the milk boxes?

3. Who does Helen tell Ida that she is meeting at the library?

4. What did Frank have a role in?

5. What is the name of the old Polish woman's dog?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Ida resent Morris and their current situation? What responsibility does she have for the state of their lives?

2. How does Morris feel about owning the store?

3. Describe Frank's early family life.

4. What does Frank Alpine say about his luck and opportunities?

5. Who is the man hanging around the neighborhood?

6. What does Frank want from Morris? What else might he be interested in?

7. How does Frank reward himself for working hard? Is this suspicious?

8. What traumatic event caused a change in Morris' habits?

9. How does Frank feel about Helen?

10. How does Helen feel about her failed relationship with Nat Pearl?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay on the character and morality of Frank Alpine. Be sure to address:

1) Whether you feel Frank Alpine is a moral or immoral character, with evidence from the text.

2) Turning points in the character growth of Frank Alpine.

3) Whether or not you would want Frank Alpine as a friend, and why.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on crime and criminals in THE ASSISTANT. Be sure to address:

1) Criminal acts that are carried out or planned in the novel.

2) How you feel the author intends readers to view the criminal behavior of characters in the novel.

3) How prevalent the crimes described in the novel are in the real world, and the punishments that these crimes carry.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay on the American Dream. Be sure to address:

1) What the American Dream means to you.

2) Obstacles faced by new Americans trying to achieve the American Dream.

3) Whether or not you feel the American Dream is still alive today, and why.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 895 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample