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Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What does Father think about when he sees the new immigrants?
2. Why does Harry K. Shaw receive special privileges in jail?
3. What does the arrival of the immigrants symbolize?
4. What does Evelyn hope for in her husband's trial?
5. What does Doctorow suggest Sigmund Freud's revenge on America was?
Short Essay Questions
1. What is it that Evelyn Nesbit does not understand when she sees The Girl tied to her father?
2. Why is Houdini thrown out of Bellevue Hospital?
3. How do the second generation Irish feel about the new immigrants?
4. What becomes the fashion among the rich in turn of the century America?
5. What are Tateh's plans for him and The Girl as they leave New York?
6. What sight as they sail out of New York Harbor depresses Father?
7. What does Younger Brother do for a political rally in Rye, New York?
8. Explain how Harry K. Shaw gets to see Harry Houdini.
9. What does the Franklin Novelty Company do with Tateh's books?
10. What does Tateh notice about The Girl on their train trip.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Write a paper explaining the difference between an anarchist and a socialist. These strange bedfellows come together in the meeting Tateh takes Evelyn to. Anarchists oppose any form of government and socialists promote total government control. Explain why Tateh did not agree with anarchism or communism. Why was he a socialist? Then decide if his later affluence changed his political ideas and why.
Essay Topic 2
Coalhouse Walker, Jr., plays Scott Joplin ragtime in the novel. Do some research and write a brief paper about the composer Scott Joplin. Why does Doctorow use the musical genre as the title of his book? To what extent do you think the music of an era defines that era?
Essay Topic 3
Write a paper comparing Evelyn Nesbit with notorious movie stars of the 20th century. A good comparison might be to Marilyn Monroe. Compare their beginnings, Evelyn's posing nude for a statue and Marilyn appearing nude in Playboy Magazine, their notoriety in the press, and their many romantic entanglements. Doctorow suggests that Evelyn is the model for all the show business women who followed her. This should be a fun paper to write.
This section contains 644 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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