View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Mac hears that rebels will be arriving in the city, whose government is expected to flee?

2. When Ward sees McGill at a Kiwanis Convention, what position does McGill tell him about?

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

4. What do Johnny and Annabelle decide to do after they get married?

5. Who is suffering from financial problems because of a collapse in the real estate industry?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Janey change when she lives in New York?

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

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

4. Why is Charley eager to leave Fargo?

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

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

7. How did Janey become the personal secretary of J. Ward Moorehouse?

8. Initially, what decision does Johnny make about Annabelle in pages 151-172?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

The 42nd Parallel is an example of fictional realism. What does that classification entail? Why does this novel fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 895 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample