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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. Where is Miss. Maureen from?

2. Who is hurt by Betsey's bragging about getting rid of Bernice?

3. What is the name of Betsey's teacher at her segregated school?

4. What helps Betsey break into her new class successfully?

5. Who shoos Eugene away from the Brown household in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is it demonstrated that Betsey's childhood is falling away?

2. How do Jane and Vida feel about segregation?

3. How does Betsey feel about white people in Chapter 7?

4. Describe the circumstances surrounding Betsey's first kiss.

5. What does Carrie convince Betsey to do?

6. Why does Betsey want to win the elocution contest?

7. How does Betsey realize she was missed in Chapter 9?

8. How does Betsey view black children in comparison to white children?

9. Describe Betsey's father, Greer.

10. What euphemism is used Chapter 2 and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of each housekeeper (Bernice, Regina, and Carrie) on the Brown family? How do they change the family? Is she a positive or negative influence on the family? How does the reader know this?

Essay Topic 2

The Brown family home is extremely chaotic. How is this represented in the author's work? Analyze the plot of the story as well as Shange's diction, syntax, tone, and point of view and the ways in which they apply to the overall theme of chaos. What effect does chaos have on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

What is Carrie's role in the story? What does Carrie do to either please or anger the family? What opinions does the family have of her, and why? How does this change the family dynamic in the home?

(see the answer keys)

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