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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. Which of the following areas is the point from which the Boyce family emigrates?

2. What does Selina do to Ina when Ina states that she will tell their father how bad he is?

3. What do Selina's parents argue about frequently?

4. Why does Miss Thompson not go to the doctor?

5. What is one of the main issues that the Boyce family faces?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Book 3, how does Silla manage to sell Deighton's land out from under him?

2. In Book 2, Beryl thinks that babies just pop out easily. What misinformation does she have about menstruation?

3. Why does Selina think that babies are born by chopping the mother's stomach open?

4. Why does Silla worry when Deighton does not return home with the money from the land sale?

5. How does Deighton respond to the racism that he encounters while applying for accounting jobs?

6. How are Silla and Miss Thompson alike?

7. Miss Thompson's roommate has three little girls, but it is Miss Thompson who cares for them. Why is that?

8. What is the main problem in Silla's and Deighton's marriage?

9. In Book 2, while her parents argue about the land in Barbados, what do Selina's daydreams focus upon?

10. In Book 2, Beryl and Selina have a conversation about babies being born. Why do they not know the facts of life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Silla and Selina have a volatile relationship. Describe and analyze the changes that take place in their relationship over time. In what way(s) does Selina evolve into a person like her mother? Different from her mother? Does she embody more of Silla's negative characteristics, or more of her positive characteristics? Do you think that Selina surpasses her mother in character? Why or why not? Support your position with statements from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Religion and poverty are important issues in Brown Girl, Brownstones. How are the two tied together? Does religion impact any character's view or relationship with money? Does poverty prompt some of the characters to seek religion? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Marriage was considered to be one of the few options for a young woman in the early 20th Century. Look at each moment in the novel when marriage is mentioned, or when a wedding takes place. Describe the connotations about marriage. What kind of viewpoints does Selina develop about marriage based on each of those situations?

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