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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 Lydia's sister?

2. Which of the following characters is NOT one that Lydia realized could have been an assassin in her home?

3. When Alec is drinking his tea, which of the following people is NOT a source of his outrage?

4. Where does Silas choose to drink his six-pack of beer, after seeing Du Boise for the first time?

5. Who stays with Mikey while his parents are at the hospital?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Lydia have to stay as long as she does in the hospital, and how does she pass her days there?

2. How does the Ali family react to Silas's seizure?

3. What happened at a dinner party, which outraged Lydia so much that she never wanted Kate near Mikey again?

4. How does Mikey react to having to go to the hospital to visit with his mother?

5. Why does Alec become so outraged that he must leave his bedroom and make himself a cup of tea?

6. How does Silas react to the news that Du Boise is back in town?

7. Why does Silas phone Alec, and what is he suddenly suspicious of him?

8. What family arrives at Lydia's hospital bedside, and how do they get there?

9. What two revelations does Lydia make when the letter arrives to her from Martha in Toronto.

10. What does Silas think about as he is driving home from the hospital after refusing medical care?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel "Bitter Fruit" is set in post-apartheid South Africa. Even though the apartheid is no longer happening, the residual effects of this ethnic segregation are still very present in the lives of the Ali family. Briefly explain how the apartheid affected the Ali family directly, and give two examples of the residual effects of segregation that continue to affect all the black Africans living in South Africa.

Essay Topic 2

Silas's fiftieth birthday party proves to be the moment when the entire Ali family realizes that their bonds have completely disintegrated. Explain the events of the night of Silas's birthday party, and the reactions that each family member, Silas, Lydia, and Mikey, has to each of these events, and how they know their family never will be the same again.

Essay Topic 3

Mikey is arguably the character that undergoes the greatest transformation in this novel. Describe Mikey's character at the beginning of the novel and compare/contrast that to his character at the end of the novel. What are the most important transformations Mikey undergoes both physically and emotionally in the text?

(see the answer keys)

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