English 102
Exam #2
Part One. Objective. Each question is worth 2 points. Total = 50 points.
Multiple choice. Write the letter of the response that best answers the question.
1. Hemingway grew up in: (a) the southwest; (b) the midwest; (c) the deep south; (d) the Appalachian mountains: (e) none of the above.
2. The term “stream of consciousness” could best be described as a (a) narrative technique; (b) trope ; (c) archetype ; (d) aspect of setting; (e) none of the above.
3. The two characters who are closest in age and attitude are: (a) Sarty and the narrator of “Greasy Lake”; (b) The young waiter and the old waiter; (c)The old waiter and the old man ; (d) both (a) and (b) ; (e) both (a) and (c)
4. An “anagram” is: (a) another word for an archetype; (b) another word for a coming of age story; (c) A word in which the rearranged letters spell a different word; (d) a noun or phrase that equates with a nearby noun or phrase in a sentence; (d) none of the above
5. In which story does a character of one social class insult a character of a different social class? (a) “Barn Burning”; (b) “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”; (c) “Greasy Lake”; (d) “Araby’; (e) none of the above; (f) all of the above.
6. Which word or phrase figures prominently, has an anti-religious connotation, and is repeated by a character in the story, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”: (a) “nevermore”; (b) “he was brave”; (c) “we were bad”; (d) “nada”; (e) none of the above.
7. Which author is the most contemporary (recent) of the group? (a) Faulkner; (b)Boyle; (c) Steinbeck ; (d) Hemingway
8. In which story does the author use water to support characterization? (a) “The Chrysanthemums”; (b) “A Clean, Well Lighted Place”; (c) “Greasy Lake”; (d) both (b) and (c); (e) both (a) and (c); (f) none of the above
9. Which quote belongs in “Barn Burning”? (a)”a shape black, flat, and bloodless as though cut from tin in the iron folds of the frockcoat which had not been made for him, the voice harsh like tin and without heat like tin”; (b) “it meant nothing and less than nothing to him if it were enemy booty or his own”; (c) “A girl and a soldier went by in the street. The street light shone on the brass number on his collar. The girl wore no head covering and hurried beside him”; (d) both (b) and (c); (e) both (a) and (b); (f) none of the above
10. Who speaks the following line? “’He’ll stay all night. . . . I’m sleepy now. I never get into bed before three o’clock. He should have killed himself last week.” (a) The young waiter; (b) the old waiter; (c) the old man; (d) no one says it; it is part of the objective narration of the story.
True or False. Write “T” or “F” in the appropriate blank on the answer sheet.
11. The concept of the Freytag pyramid was originally devised to apply to the dramatic structure of a five-act play. TRUE
12. Hemingway served as a volunteer ambulance driver in Italy in World War One. TRUE
13. In “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” the only relative mentioned is the old man’s son. FALSE
14. The “character” Colonel Sartoris appears in both “A Rose for Emily” and “Barn Burning.” TRUE
15. At the end of “The Chrysanthemums,” the husband and wife go to dinner and then to a boxing match. FALSE
16. In “Greasy Lake,” the narrator mistakes the parked ’57 Chevy for the one belonging to a friend, Tony Lovett. TRUE
17. In “Barn Burning,” the boy has a brother and two sisters. TRUE
18. Because of his one-time Communist sympathies, Steinbeck is often referred to as one of a group of so-called “proletarian” writers. TRUE
19. In “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, the older waiter tells the younger waiter that there is no difference between a café and a bodega. FALSE
20. In “Greasy Lake,” the narrator’s name is Digby. FALSE
Short answer. Answer each question in a specific 1-2 sentences.
21. The line, “This was nature” appears twice in “Greasy Lake”: at the beginning and near the end. What contrasts exist between the “nature” of the narrator’s earlier and later views?
“Nature” at the end of the story might be used to suggest human nature – that is, the inherently good or bad nature of the boy’s decisions and actions. “Nature” at the beginning of the story seems to refer only to the boy’s physical surroundings: corrupt and defiled, just as he himself appears to be, at least on the surface.
22. What is the definition of denouement?
The word literally means “unravelling,” from the French, and is used in the paradigm of the typical five act play, or typical short story, to mean the falling action resulting from the climax. It occurs in Act 4 in a play, or near the end of a conventional story.
23. What’s the significance of the detailed account of Elisa’s preparations for her night out?
The scene of bathing might be votice – ie it might suggest a cleansing or baptism of sorts, washing away the dirt of her encounter with the “greasy” gypsy repairman. The harshness with which she scrubs her body suggests something of her low self-esteem or perhaps her shame at being sexually attracted to so “low” a character.
24. What happens when de Spain demands that Snopes pay him 20 bushels of corn as compensation for the ruined rug?
He takes him to court.
25. What significances are there to the setting of “Greasy Lake” – that is, the lake itself?
The lake, as a body of water, might suggest a ritualistic purification of the character’s “soul” – that is, his attitudes toward himself and society, and his process of maturing.
Part Two. Essay. 500 words.
Mechanics and stylistics count in the evaluation, as well as
evidence and originality of thought. Be specific. 50 points.
Compare and contrast the main characters in “Barn Burning” and “Greasy Lake” as participants in the ritual of coming of age, or initiation. Construct and prove, by support from the text, an original argument about how each character is a reflection of this theme. Respond directly to the question, then develop your essay by supporting your analyses of each character by referring to evidence in the texts. Try not to consistently use the same evidence referred to in the objective questions and/or answers.
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Ex2-102 rev. 2/07