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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 Hurstwood see when he first drives a trolley out in public?

2. How does Carrie get a raise in pay at her first job in New York?

3. What does Carrie learn about during her dinner with the surprise visitor during the height of her success?

4. What causes Hurstwood to become suicidal at times?

5. By what means does Hurstwood kill himself at the end of the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Carrie so confused when the grocer comes to her door demanding his bill be paid?

2. What happens when Carrie is given a silent role in a play?

3. What condition does Hurstwood find himself in after he is released from the hospital after months of sickness?

4. What is Carrie doing at the end of the book?

5. What shocking news does Hurstwood tell Carrie as they are fighting about his lack of a job?

6. What awakens Carrie's desires to have the luxuries of life just after she is married to Hurstwood?

7. What does Carrie do after work to keep from having to go back to her flat?

8. What causes Carrie to change her mind about turning down the invitation to a party being held by Mrs. Vance?

9. How does Hurstwood respond to the news of Carrie's theatrical success?

10. What does Hurstwood find awaiting him when he tries to get a job as a trolley driver?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sacrifice was a theme that was very prevalent in this book. Who were the characters most affected by this theme, and how did they allow sacrifice to change their lives?

Essay Topic 2

Friendship is a strong theme throughout the book. Where are some places that this theme appears, and how do the characters touched by it react? How do certain friendships change over the course of the book, and what causes these changes?

Essay Topic 3

Carrie and Mrs. Vance are very similar in nature although very different in many other areas. What are some of these intrinsic differences and similarities, and what message(s) was Dreiser was trying to send with these two characters?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 644 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample