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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. Why does Sara say that she can not come visit her family?

2. Who sends Sara a note a few months after Reb's marriage?

3. What food item does Shenah bring Sara when she visits her at her apartment?

4. Sara feels like who as she leaves New York to go to college?

5. Reb says that a woman can not get into Heaven without what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the apartment Sara moves into after college.

2. Why does Sara see her graduation day from college as being bittersweet?

3. Describe Sara's trip to the department store on Fifth Avenue.

4. Describe who Mr. Edman is and what he does for a living.

5. Why does Reb choose to marry Mrs. Feinstein?

6. Why is Shenah so weak when Sara sees her in Chapter 18?

7. Why does Sara choose to go to the freshman class dance at college?

8. How does being around Max Goldstein change Sara?

9. Why do the girls at Sara's laundry job treat her cruelly?

10. How did Max Goldstein come into the business of running a department store?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Torah is mentioned by Reb many times in Bread Givers. He uses it not only as a gateway for information, but as a source from which to preach. Write an essay explaining why the Torah is important to the story. What does it symbolize? In which situations does Reb use the Torah to try and educate his children? How is the Torah used to support the idea of religious fanaticism? Use examples from the book to support your writing.

Essay Topic 2

A good education is something that is valued very little by the characters in Bread Givers. Of the Smolinsky siblings, only Fania and Sara go to night school. Sara is the only one to ever graduate college. Write an essay explaining why education is not highly valued by characters in Bread Givers. How does gender play into the fact that education is not prioritized for women? Why is money of greater value than knowledge in the story? What types of skills are viewed as being more valuable than a good education? Why? Explain your rationale by providing examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Bread Givers concludes with Sara deciding whether or not to take Reb into her home. She is conflicted because of his behavior and the past conflicts they have shared. Write an essay exploring the reasons Sara has for being hesitant to take her father in. Why is she always the sibling who takes responsibility for Reb? Why can she never escape him? How was Reb's personality and outlook on life shaped by the men who came before him? Explain your rationale by providing examples from the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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