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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 does Cecile tell Vonetta about the poem she plans to recite at the rally in "Itsy Bitsy Spider"?

2. When was Fisherman's Wharf redeveloped into a tourist attraction?

3. What does the girl tell Delphine and her sisters that peace is in "Wish We Had a Camera"?

4. Why does Delphine refuse to take her sisters to the People's Center in "Eating Crow"?

5. How old was Bobby Hutton when he died?

Short Essay Questions

1. How has Delphine's behavior changed in "Wish We Had a Camera"? What has led to the change?

2. What poem has Vonetta decided to recite in "Itsy Bitsy Spider"? What does Cecile remark about the poem?

3. What are Big Ma's feelings in regard to the Black Panther Party and its members?

4. What rule are the sisters breaking by cleaning Cecile's kitchen in "I Birthed a Nation"?

5. How does Delphine respond to her teachings at the People's Center in "Rally for Bobby"?

6. How does irony apply to the situation where Delphine makes dinner in "Big Red S"?

7. What does the title of "Movable Type" refer to in the narrative?

8. What plan does Delphine reveal to her sisters in "San Francisco Treat"?

9. Who arrives to help Delphine and her sisters in "I Birthed a Nation"? What impact does this have on the protagonist?

10. What does Sister Mukumbu teach the class in "Civic Pride"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of counterculture in the novel. What are different examples of counterculture that are experienced by the Gaither sisters? What are their impressions of the counterculture in San Francisco in 1968?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the family history of Delphine and her sisters. By whom have they been raised? When did their mother abandon the family? What kind of relationship have the sisters had with their mother up until their arrival in Oakland?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the settings of Brooklyn, New York, and Oakland, California in 1968. What differences do the Gaither sisters find in their new environment? How do the people differ in these settings? How does the culture differ?

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This section contains 765 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample