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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 organization does Mac want to join by meeting legitimate Mexican arrivals?

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

3. Mac goes to join ___________in Mexico.

4. Whom did Charley and Ed Walter date from the amusement park?

5. After breaking off her engagement, what does Eveline propose to Eleanor?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Mac arrives in Mexico City, what changes does he experience in his employment?

2. What happens when Ward accepts the job from McGill?

3. When Janey first arrives in New York, what is her initial impression?

4. What does Eleanor do to conceal her upbringing?

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

6. What does Ward want to achieve on his own without Annabelle's support?

7. Why does Gertrude threaten Ward with divorce, and what effect can this divorce have upon him?

8. What new relationships does Mac form in Mexico City?

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

10. Why does Janey quit her job and look for new work?

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

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of loss. Identify at least two themes about loss in the 42nd Parallel. Then cite an example to support your answer.

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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