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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. Into what kind of fund did residents of better lodging houses pay?

2. What happened to many coster children if their parents thought they did not bring enough money home at night?

3. Who collected coal, small scraps of wood, lost coins and other junk from the deep, sucking, stinking mud?

4. How did wholesale suppliers cheat costers?

5. What type of modern store did costermongers fill in 1800s London?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the story Mayhew wrote about a Cheap Jack?

2. What did mudlarks do and how did they bathe?

3. What are the six categories the author separated the London street people into and how did these street people generally earn their living?

4. How did the costermongers obtain their merchandise and what were the circumstances for borrowing?

5. What did bolder boys do with coal barges, how was this viewed and what could happen to the boys? How did the boys feel about jail?

6. Who hired dustmen and how did they do their work?

7. Where did most costermongers and their families live

8. How did Jewish traders survive in London and how does Mayhew portray the Jewish traders?

9. What caused a class hierarchy in immigrants in London?

10. Who were generally managers of lodging houses and what happened to a child who did not have the money for lodging?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One magician worked as an errand boy for four years until at 14 he began to sell oranges outside a theater. From there he went to selling beer inside the theater, to being an extra on stage, to acting at the age of 15. After the show closed, he worked as the doorkeeper until the owner mentioned an opening for a magician. With no knowledge, skill or experience, he volunteered for the position.

1. Discuss this magician's story in terms of the rag to riches stories which were prevalent in America in this era. (This answer may require some research). Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Do you think this magician's story seems to suggest that anyone of the London poor could do better if they would just work at it? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. What might people in dire straits in modern America learn from this story? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. Do you think the prejudice and stereotyping of poor people still exist today? Why or why not? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. Do you believe the government has an obligation to ensure that all citizens have a certain minimal level of existence? Why or why not?

3. How do you think Mayhew's religious beliefs affected his research? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Mayhew made sweeping generalizations about the different types of street people, and often relied on stereotypes. For example, he claimed that all blind musicians were highly religious while all "mechanics" or skilled laborers were melancholy, suffering from chronic depression.

1. Refute or defend the following statement: Stereotypes about people are generally true. Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. How do you think stereotyping or generalization in research can affect the results of research? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. The only statement that can be true about a research population is if that population consist of only one person. Discuss this statement in view of Mayhew's tendency to stereotype groups of individuals.

(see the answer keys)

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