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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. Who always had the face of a boy?

2. Who stands against the plan to overthrow the conservative party?

3. Whom do the people want to see lynched as The Spooniad ends?

4. Whom did Harlan Sewall repay?

5. Who believed a close friend or relative must speak to God on your behalf if you die having always rejected Him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Compare and contrast Zilpha Marsh and Lydia Humphrey.

2. Compare and contrast the village atheist and John Ballard.

3. The section beginning with Magrady Graham and ending with Mabel Osborne contains several stories by residents who are considered enlightened souls. Give at least two examples of these residents.

4. How is Father Malloy's epitaph different from the others in the "Spoon River Anthology"?

5. How is the epitaph about the many soldiers different from the other epitaphs in the "Spoon River Anthology"?

6. Herman Altman and Columbus Cheney introduce the idea of reincarnation to the Anthology. Does this fit in with the Anthology's theme of spiritual evolution? If so, how? If not, why not?

7. Give three examples of enlightened souls in the section beginning with Edmund Pollard and ending with Dippold the Optician.

8. How did Felix Schmidt lose what little he had in life?

9. Compare and contrast E. C. Culbertson and Hildrup Tubbs.

10. Why does Jefferson Howard challenge the liberal party in the planning meeting?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the importance of names in "Spoon River Anthology".

Essay Topic 2

Was John Cabanis right in attempting to overthrow the conservative party in The Spooniad? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the conflict between the conservative and liberal parties in Spoon River. What significance does this have to the Anthology?

(see the answer keys)

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