View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Deighton's mistress treat him?

2. In what part of New York does the Boyce family live?

3. How old is Selina at the opening of the book?

4. Why did parents avoid teaching their daughters about sex in the early part of the 20th Century?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. In Book 3, Chapters 1-4, what does Florrie do to Selina that shocks her so much? And why does she do it?

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

3. Why do you think that Deighton is seeking out a mistress?

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

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

6. How is the issue of racism introduced in Book 1?

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

8. Why does Silla want to sell the land that her husband has inherited in Barbados so badly?

9. What is Selina's relationship with her mother like?

10. How are Silla and Miss Thompson alike?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A character from Greek mythology, Atlas is compared to Selina because she feels like she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. What are the type of weights that Selina carries? What other characters carry big weights on their shoulders? Does that make them stronger? Meaner? More compassionate? Does Atlas ever get relief from his burden? Do Selina, Silla, or any of the other characters?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the ways in which Selina is innocent and how she gains knowledge. Connect those ideas to major themes in the book. In other words, identify the areas in which Selina is innocent, and track her journey into a more knowledgeable status in the area(s) that you cite. What themes do those topics illuminate?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Selina with that of Antigone - the main character in the Greek tragedy by Sophocles. What is the author's purpose in using such allusion?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 761 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample