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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 is the name of the plantation where Paul D and Sethe first met?

2. Why is Sethe angry with Paul D?

3. Why does Sethe remember Howard?

4. Who does Denver think Beloved is?

5. What does Paul presume Beloved is?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Paul D keeps on saying "red heart"?

2. Why is Denver convinced that Beloved is her sister?

3. Why does Denver deny that she saw Beloved pick up a chair?

4. Why was Sethe so angry about the boys taking her milk?

5. Is Beloved falling apart like she says?

6. Why does Denver think that Beloved hates Paul D?

7. How has the ghost affected Sethe's life?

8. Why does Paul question his manhood?

9. How is Georgia the most notorious slave state in the Union?

10. Why do you think Paul D says it is a bad idea for an ex-slave to love his children so much?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In this novel, Morrison uses the stream of consciousness technique twice, once with Sethe and in the next chapter with Denver.

1) How do you think stream of consciousness works to express a character's thoughts?

2) Why do you think Morrison uses stream of consciousness with these two characters?

Essay Topic 2

Sethe trying to kill her children was not unusual during this period. Discuss why black mothers would want to kill their children. If their lives were that bad, why were her sons so fearful of Sethe? Were these women not in their right minds at the time?

Essay Topic 3

A ghost haunts 124. What do you think the ghost symbolizes? Why do you think they are so ready to believe in a ghost?

(see the answer keys)

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