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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 long has Claude stuck it out at college in "The Prairie Executioner"?

2. What did Paul pay for a staff at a garage sale in Cicero?

3. What tattoo did a guy that Janice slept with from a bachelor party at her nightclub have in "Reunion"?

4. When was Obama elected president for the first-time?

5. In "Reunion," who does Janice tell Kenneth, Claude's roommate that she is?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Professor Janus want everyone to do in class in "Sociology #1"?

2. Why does Claude try to call Janice in "Interlude"?

3. In "Reunion," what does Janice look like?

4. What is the conversation when Claude gets an acceptance letter from Missouri?

5. What does Chester Dexter try to persuade Janice to do in "Ohio"?

6. What meeting does Claude's RA have in "Icebreaker"?

7. What does the sociology professor want students to call him, and how many students call him by his preferred name?

8. At the end of "Ohio," what does Paul tell Claude after dinner about leaving?

9. In "Sociology #1," what does Claude feel about conversations on campus as he walks to the journalism office?

10. What is the Prairie Executioner?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author uses historical details in the novel. How does the author use historical details in the book? How do the details that the author uses in the book about Chicago imitate events from real life?

Essay Topic 2

Genre is a means of classifying literature. What is the genre of the novel? Why is it not historical fiction?

Essay Topic 3

Flashbacks are a literary device used to provide information about events that took place before the story began. How does the author use flashbacks in the novel? How does the author’s choice to use flashback affect the plot?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 818 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample