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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. When does "The First Day" take place?

2. In "Young Lions", what is the first thing Caesar eats/drinks from the refrigerator?

3. What does the protagonist of "The First Day" wear in the opening scene?

4. What does Cassandra carry in her pocket?

5. What surprising news does Clara give Jenny?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Caesar con Carol into participating in his plot to rob the disabled woman?

2. How does the protagonist of "The First Day" describe the woman who greets her at Seaton Elementary?

3. Describe Robert's reaction to becoming a widower and single father in "The Girl Who Raised Pigeons."

4. How does the protagonist's mother feel about leaving her child at the school in "The First Day"?

5. What does Betsy Ann do to lose her father's trust? Why does he become so angry?

6. In "The First Day", how well prepared is the protagonist's mother to enroll her child in school?

7. In "Young Lions", discuss Carol's feelings for Caesar.

8. How does Robert treat his daughter Betsy Ann?

9. In "The First Day", how does the protagonist's mother prepare her for the first day of school?

10. How does Robert respond to his daughter's desire to raise pigeons of her own?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the role of community in the stories throughout this collection. How do people form community in Jones' work? What do their communities mean in their daily lives? What is Jones' commentary about the significance of community and social interaction?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the role of geography, space, and place in two or more of the stories in Jones' collection. How does Jones capture, explore, and comment on the urban environment of Washington, D.C.? How does Jones enlarge conventional notions of the nation's capitol city? In what ways do the depictions of the city in these stories interact with or build upon on another? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

In the background of each of the stories in the collection, the framework of the government and legal structure appears to hinder or support the characters. Selecting at least 2 or 3 of the stories in the collection, analyze Jones' commentary regarding the success or failure of the U.S. government to provide for the people of this community. Does Jones seem to think that the government has failed its people? Or, that it does a good job protecting their rights? Or, is his commentary perhaps more nuanced? Provide details from the text to support your argument.

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