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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 Tessie?

2. Why did Mat decide to go to Mathu's?

3. Who is Snookum's grandmother?

4. Who carried his gun like a soldier?

5. What does Miss Merle tell Janey to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who were Salt and Pepper?

2. What was Johnny Paul talking about when he talked to Mapes about what he couldn't see?

3. Why did Chimley not mind if black people called him by his nickhame, but hated it when white people used his nickname?

4. Why was it important for the author to show violence against women in the black community?

5. Why was Bea unconcerned that Beau had been killed?

6. Why did Cherry talk about the fields of cane? What are the fields of cane a symbol of for Cherry's people?

7. What was happening to the black graveyards?

8. Why did Clatoo stop the truck before he got to Mathu's?

9. Why did Jacob feel bad about the death of his sister Tessie when he had nothing to do with her murder?

10. Why did Miss Merle slap Janey and why did Janey stand there and take it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How did Mapes change from the beginning of the story to the end of the story?

Essay Topic 2

Do you feel that Fix and Gil reconciled? Why? Will their lives be different? Will Fix change? Will Gill pull away from his family or join them?

Essay Topic 3

Light-skinned blacks vs. dark-skinned blacks. Explain what is happening in this story between the people who are light-skinned and the people who are dark-skinned. How did these prejudices begin?

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This section contains 553 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample