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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. How does Shenah react when she realizes that her husband has been swindled by buying the store?
2. What does Sara take with her when she runs away from home?
3. Who does Abe Schmukler marry?
4. Who slaps Sara at the end of Chapter 8?
5. Who is Mashah's first true love?
Short Essay Questions
1. Why does Reb not like the grocery business?
2. What does Reb find in the store after he, Sara, and Shenah have gotten the chance to go through the stock?
3. How does Bessie react to the news that Berel Bernstein will not marry her?
4. For what reason does the man in the paper sell Reb his store for only four hundred dollars?
5. Why do men follow Mashah around with "melting looks?"
6. Why does Sara have trouble finding an apartment after running away from home?
7. Why does Sara vow to marry an American-born man?
8. Why does Moe Mirsky continuously exchange Mashah's diamonds for different ones?
9. What happens to Sara when she cleans her apartment in Chapter 10?
10. How does Sara see Moe treating Mashah when she visits them after running away from home?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In Bread Givers, women are often portrayed as fragile, weak, or unintelligent. Shenah is a loving woman who tries her best but is often overshadowed by the authority of her husband. On multiple occasions, Reb mentions how women are simple or not as good as men. Write an essay explaining why women are perceived as being weak in the context of the story. Which male characters talk down to female characters in the story? How do the attitudes of some of the characters cripple what little courage some of the female characters posses? How is religion used to convey the idea that women are somehow weaker than men? Use examples from the book to support your writing.
Essay Topic 2
The people of Hester Street are for the most part, lower class immigrated families. Throughout Bread Givers class is brought up by multiple characters. The members of the Smolinsky family are constantly trying to raise themselves above the poverty line. Write an essay detailing the efforts the members of the family make to rise above being lower class. How does Reb do his part for trying to become more than lower class? What types of people does he marry the family into? How does going to college help Sara rise above the line of poverty? Use examples from the book to support your writing.
Essay Topic 3
Love and marriage are subjects often brought up in Bread Givers. All three of Sara's older sisters are married off to men they hardly know. Sara's parents barely knew each other before they were married. Write an essay exploring the idea of arranged marriage in the context of the story. Why do Bessie, Fania, and Mashah feel powerless over choosing who they marry? Why do match makers and prearranged marriages exist in the context of the story? Which of the characters refuses to get married to a man she doesn't love? Use examples from the book to support your opinions.
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This section contains 901 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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