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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. What does Alec tell the man he meets in Part I that he really needs a new job?

2. What does the sighting of the singer distract Vern from?

3. What does Ben usually do most nights to help calm himself?

4. When does the bombing that kills the five children, and many more people, happen in the start of this novel?

5. Why does the person Alec is asking for a job tell him he has hesitations for hiring him?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part II, what does Alec spend a lot of time doing besides working?

2. Why is Alec under some pressure to get a job in Part I as a young adult?

3. In Part II, who does Alec have a difficult relationship with in his life?

4. How does Vern mislead his dinner companion in Part I?

5. Why does Mike threaten Ben on the bus in Part II?

6. What does Jo notice about the man she thinks of as having a frog face in Part II?

7. Who encourages Mike not to fight with Ben and Trevor, and why does she do this?

8. What is one action Alec focuses on and participates in in his organizing work in Part II?

9. Why does Alec's mentor have some misgivings about him going into the line of work he has chosen?

10. What is one reason Alec feels distant from his son?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who passes by the old Woolworth's building as an elderly woman, and what unusual and almost supernatural quality or characteristics does Spufford imbue the building with at that time? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Of the five main characters - Val, Jo, Vern, Alec, and Ben - which one do you think experiences the most significant growth or change over the course of his or her life? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Spufford describe Ben's and Marsha's relationship, and why does it work so well even though it appears unconventional on the surface? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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