View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Precious keep secret in November?

2. What does Ms. Rain call the depression Precious is experiencing?

3. What does Precious begin thinking about as she gets older?

4. What does Ms. Rain notice happening when Precious is mad?

5. In Chapter 4, what support group does Rita want Precious to attend?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Mary visits Precious at the halfway house, what does she reveal to Precious?

2. When Mary comes to visit Precious at the Harlem halfway house, what does Precious understand about her?

3. Where does Precious go after she leaves her home with Abdul and who does she look for?

4. How does Precious feel about her second child, Abdul?

5. What happens at the end of Chapter 3 between Ms. Rain and Precious?

6. What is Precious worried about concerning Abdul's first birthday and school?

7. When Ms. Rain asks the girls to write fantasies about their lives, what does Precious imagine her life being like?

8. What does Precious' file say about Precious and what is she afraid her file could do to her?

9. What kind of things happen to Precious and Abdul when Mrs. Butter sends them to stay at the armory?

10. What existential argument does Precious grapple with at the end of Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is the ending of Push negative or positive? What kind of message is Sapphire trying to send to the reader? Support your answer with specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Precious has an obsession with ugliness. How does Precious equate ugliness with black people and being black? Where does she see ugliness? How do these views affect her views on white people? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Precious learns her ABC's in a way that most people would not imagine a young girl learning. Using examples from the book, explain how this instance develops Precious' character for the reader and helps the reader to understand Precious' life.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 782 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample