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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 does Sue think the person in her house wants?

2. Where is Johnny-Boy at the beginning of the story?

3. What does Sue say to the people in her house?

4. Who does Sue think is responsible for telling the sheriff about the meeting?

5. What does the sheriff do when Sue doesn't answer all his questions?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Reva tell Sue?

2. What does Sue finally decide to do?

3. What is Sue told when she said she'd come for Johnny-Boy's body? How does she respond?

4. What does Sue tell Johnny-Boy about Reva?

5. What does Sue first think she should do?

6. What happens as Sue rises to her feet?

7. What do Reva and Sue wonder about concerning the sheriff?

8. What does the sheriff tell Sue and how does she respond?

9. What is making Sue anxious?

10. How did life feel to Sue after Sug was arrested?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sue realizes that she does not fully subscribe to her sons' Communist beliefs, she knows that the Party is extremely important to them.

1. Communism as an ideal seems to be a just and compassionate system of government. The reality is far from the ideal. Why do you think that is true?

2. Do you think that everyone should have access to benefits such as food, clothing, shelter and health care, whether rich or poor? Why or why not?

3. After doing some research of the McCarthy era in America, do you think the U.S. government had the right to persecute people who believed communism was a good system for a society? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Another character we meet in this section is a young woman named Reva. We don't learn very much about her here or in the rest of the story, only that she is white and in love with Johnny-Boy.

1. How do you think a relationship between a African American man and white woman would have caused problems in the era in which this story takes place?

2. Do you think that inter-racial relationships are more accepted today than when this story took place? Why or why not?

3. With some research find a true incident in history of a African American man and white woman marriage and what happened in their lives.

Essay Topic 3

Sue spends the next several hours huddled over her stove contemplating all that has happened. She knows that she will likely never see either of her sons again.

1. Would you consider this a foreshadow? Why or why not?

2. Do you think that Sue's feelings about her son are justified or is it imagination due to a mother's fear? Why or why not?

3. Do you think that most parents worry that something will happen to their child whenever a child leaves the home? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 941 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample