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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 was Mo'Shay?

2. What is Brenda's ethnic background?

3. What was Brenda's boyfriend's demeanor in their relationship?

4. What crime did Brenda commit to land her in prison?

5. Who was Barbara's husband?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Diane Bartholomew describe her very difficult childhood?

2. Who was Reese and how did he enter Mo'Shay's life?

3. To what did Barbara compare puzzle pieces in her life?

4. Who were Barbara Parsons Lane's first visitors while in prison, and what did she consider to be the worst part of her incarceration?

5. What did Bonnie Foreshaw write about her childhood Jamaican family celebrations and occasions?

6. What did Mo'Shay's mother decide about raising Mo'Shay's baby and how does Mo'Shay get the love she has needed for so long from her mother?

7. How did Diane's father betray her trust with violence while on a trip to Chattanooga?

8. What was the one constant that Robin noted occurred on each of the three Christmases she spent in prison?

9. How did Barbara say that prison changed her--for both good and bad?

10. What did Diane's father make her do when he took her hunting for the first time?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Betrayal is an important theme in the stories. Can you cite an example to support this theme? Name two other themes and cite examples to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

What impact did some of the women's estranged relationships with their mothers have on their lives? What emotional wounds did these women suffer? How did the rejection or abuse by their mothers impact the women's relationships with other people? Did the women feel like she deserved to be abused because they were unworthy? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

The search for love is an important element in the women's lives. How were most of them isolated as children? How did they feel about the strained relationships with their parents? Why did she get involved with people who were bad for them? Is there a pattern in the women's destructive life choices? Explain.

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