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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 is Joe's friend that Janey has a crush on as a young girl?

2. What is the safest place to play for Mac when he is a child?

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

4. When Ike goes to the house where his mother lived, what do they see there?

5. What is Mac's real name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Mac reaches the rancher's house?

2. What happens when Fainy and Bingham ride the train to Michigan?

3. What effect did Uncle Tim have on Mac?

4. Who is Alice, and what effect does she have on Janey?

5. Why does Johnny have to leave college?

6. Describe Janey.

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

8. What happens at the theater? What does Mac do?

9. How does Mac learn independence?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

John Dos Passos offers a compelling narrative told in an unorthodox and experimental fashion using "Newsreels" with blaring headlines, autobiographical "Camera Eye" sections with poetic stream-of-consciousness, and "biographies" evoking emblematic historical figures like J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, John Reed, Frank Lloyd Wright, Thorstein Veblen, and the Unknown Soldier. Do you find this style interesting to read? Are you able to follow the story line easily, or are these changes erratic and confusing for you as a reader? Does John dos Passos offer powerful storytelling that holds your attention? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Describe some of the settings for the stories in the 42nd Parallel. What is the overall setting? Be sure to include geography, time period, and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did the author choose to use these places in the stories of the 42nd Parallel?

Essay Topic 3

The working class American is an important figure of John Dos Passos' work. In the 42nd Parallel, Dos Passos tracks the gritty lives of the working and middle class Americans with whom he identifies. Before the New Deal, what was the biggest struggle for working class Americans? Does John dos Passos offer realistic and insightful characterizations and descriptions of early 20th century life in the United States? Explain your thoughts.

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This section contains 836 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample