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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 Mac do when he arrives in San Francisco?

2. Who interviews Fainy?

3. With whom does Johnny meet at the Ocean City Improvement and Realty Company?

4. According to the ad, what is the salary for the job for which Fainy interviews?

5. Where does Janey's father go for treatment for cancer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Johnny do for work, and why does he move to Ocean City?

2. Why do the rancher and his wife not approve of Mac?

3. What kind of personality does Janey have?

4. What does Ike teach Mac?

5. After meeting Ben Evans, what does Mac decide?

6. What decision does Mac make regarding Maisie and her pregnancy?

7. Who is Annabelle Marie Strang, and why is she important to Johnny?

8. What do Fred Hoff and Mac share in common?

9. Describe Janey.

10. What do you learn about Mac's personality through his choices in pages. 62-84?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The 42nd Parallel is written from the third-person point of view where the narrator is an outsider who can report only what he or she sees and hears. This narrator can tell us what is happening, but he cannot tell us the thoughts of the characters. This method allows the author to establish the setting and to supply background information to the reader about people, places, and events. Is this method effective? Why or why not? Would a first-person narrative be more or less appealing? Describe.

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of discontentment in the 42nd Parallel. Identify at least two characters who either embody or experience discontentment. Cite an example to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Politics play a significant role throughout the entire book. In the 42nd Parallel, John dos Passos asks and sometimes offers occasional answers to big philosophical questions about the role and rights of workers in society, the equality of men and women, and important figures of the early 20th century. Do you find John dos Passos' arguments convincing? Why or why not? Do any of his characters show strong political opinions and, if so, about what? Describe.

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This section contains 904 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample