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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 night of the week is described in "Hair Night"?

2. When was the American Civil War declared?

3. What is the maiden name of Jacqueline Woodson's mother?

4. What kind of pet did Mary Anne want when she was little, but Georgiana refused?

5. What did Jackie and her siblings use to soothe Georgina's feet at night?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the poet's parents described in "Second Daughter’s Second Day on Earth"?

2. How is the history of slavery described in Jackie's maternal grandparents' ancestry in "The Garden"?

3. What event is described in the poem "The Candy Lady"?

4. How is the Woodsons' lineage described in "The Woodsons of Ohio"?

5. How is life in Greenville described in the poem "Ohio Behind Us"?

6. How does the author describe the names in her family in "Family Names"?

7. What conflict is described in the poem "A Girl Named Jack"?

8. How does the author describe her siblings in the poems "The Reader" and "Hope" from Part 1?

9. How is the house described in "The Ghosts of the Nelsonville House"? Where is Nelsonville?

10. What was Gunnar Irby's profession? What struggles did he face in his job?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of ancestry and its importance in the narrative. How is Jacqueline Woodson influenced by her family’s ancestry and past? Why do you think ancestry is important?

Essay Topic 2

Define the following poetry terms and discuss an example of each from Brown Girl Dreaming: assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and repetition. What purpose does each example serve for the reader? How does the poetry of Jacqueline Woodson differ when read aloud?

Essay Topic 3

Brown Girl Dreaming is a memoir in verse. Define these terms (memoir and verse), and discuss how they apply to the narrative. Is the book fictional or nonfictional? Why do you think the author chose to relate her story through verse? How does this choice affect the reader?

(see the answer keys)

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