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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 decides that 'illegitimate' should be stamped on Bone's birth certificate?

2. The instructions for the love knot say that Mama should keep it where?

3. What is "the backbone of the Pearl family income"?

4. What does Mama feed the girls when there is little food in the house?

5. What causes Glen to sob in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. The first time Mama leaves Glen is for two weeks. What makes her decide to return?

2. Bone says she doesn't want to go to Shannon's family barbecue, but she ends up going. Why do you think she goes?

3. Why does Bone begin looking at herself in mirrors?

4. Why is Bone climbing over the fence into the Pearl's backyard?

5. Why does the world that comes over the radio seem far away to Bone in Chapter 2?

6. Chapter 8 opens with the love knot disintegrating and being swept away. What does this foretell?

7. Glen chooses different types of houses than the Boatwright aunts. Which type of house does Bone seem to prefer and why?

8. How is the hook changed? What is Bone's reaction?

9. Why is Bone drawn to Shannon Pearl?

10. Describe the differences between Mama and her girls and the children of Glen's brothers.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both Bone and her mother have an obsession about being thought of or treated as "trash." What does being trash mean to each of them? Find three instances each of Mama and Bone's concern over their social status.

Essay Topic 2

Dorothy Allison makes several references to looking like a Boatwright. Bone watches for this and looks for the Boatwright birthright in both her appearance and her behavior as she tries to figure out who she is. Find both positive and negative examples of what being a Boatwright means. By the end of the book, is Bone glad she's a Boatwright?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the role of religion in Bone's life. Compare it to the role religion plays in Shannon's life.

(see the answer keys)

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