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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. Where does the narrator describe the tightrope walker performing before his World Trade Center stunt in Book 2, Chapter 8: "The Ringing Grooves of Change"?

2. Where does Jaslyn check into a hotel while in New York in Book 4, Chapter 12: "Roaring Seaward, And I Go"?

3. How many brothers did Gloria have growing up?

4. Who is Jaslyn's adoptive mother following her mother's death?

5. What are described in Book 3, Chapter 9: "Part of the Parts" as the "Two pillars of salt" that New York sees looking over its shoulder?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the sights and sounds described during the walker’s World Trade Center stunt in Book 2, Chapter 8: “The Ringing Grooves of Change”?

2. Who is the protagonist of Book 4, Chapter 12: “Roaring Seaward, And I Go”? How would you describe the narrative style of this chapter?

3. Who is the protagonist of Book 3, Chapter 11: “All Hail and Hallelujah”? Where was this character first introduced?

4. What is revealed of the tightrope walker’s fate in Book 3, Chapter 11: “All Hail and Hallelujah”?

5. How is the protagonist’s meeting with Ciaran described in Book 4, Chapter 12: “Roaring Seaward, And I Go”?

6. Who visits the prison in Book 2, Chapter 7: “This is the House That Horse Built”? Why?

7. What impact has Corrigan’s death had on Adelita’s perceptions of their relationship in Book 3, Chapter 10: “Centavos”?

8. How does the protagonist of Book 3, Chapter 9: “Part of the Parts” perceive his job?

9. Whose case is presented first in Book 3, Chapter 9: “Part of the Parts”?

10. How is the protagonist’s family described in Book 4, Chapter 12: “Roaring Seaward, And I Go”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Adelita’s story in Let the Great World Spin. How would you define Adelita’s central conflict in the narrative? Is this conflict resolved by the end of the novel? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

What is the meaning of the title of Book 2, Chapter 7: “This is the House That Horse Built”? How do the chapter titles vary in Let the Great World Spin? In what ways are the chapter titles in the book reflective of the story’s protagonists? What does “Horse” refer to?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the character of Jaslyn in the novel. When and where is Jaslyn first introduced? What is her relationship to the other characters in the narrative? What are Jaslyn’s actions, objectives, obstacles, and conflicts in her story?

(see the answer keys)

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