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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 comes to work for Ward in New York?

2. Who does Ward start to date in Pittsburgh?

3. What does Charley do with the pills?

4. Where did Charley work as a machinist's assistant?

5. What is the name of the river mentioned in the Camera Eye section of pgs. 215-236?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens that makes Janey feel that she has made the "big time" at work?

2. After Ward leaves Annabelle, where does he live, and what is life like there?

3. What does Eleanor do to conceal her upbringing?

4. When Eveline and Eleanor's business fails, what job opportunity do they take?

5. What does Mac do when the Zapata arrives in Mexico City?

6. How does Ward and Gertrude's relationship change after they have children?

7. What effect does Annabelle's decision to terminate her pregnancy have on Ward?

8. Why is Charley eager to leave Fargo?

9. What is Eleanor's relationship with her father?

10. What does Charley decide to do when the pregnancy is terminated?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

When Mac travels to Mexico, he does not go for physical reasons. Instead, he goes to stimulate his mind and to free his spirit. What is the significance of taking a spiritual journey versus just a physical one? How does this affect Mac in particular?

Part 1) What is the difference in the journeys of Mac versus that of Janey?

Part 2) Describe Mac's final experience and how it varies greatly from his first trip. What new friends has he made? What fears has he conquered? What relationships has he formed, and what relationships has he severed? Why?

Part 3) Of the five main characters, who gains the most knowledge and understanding from traveling? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Every main character in the 42nd Parallel (Janey, Mac, Ward, Eleanor, and Charley) wants to find a purpose in life and seeks meaning through self-expression. Which characters find purpose and direction to their lives and in what ways? Which characters do not achieve this? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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