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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 means of transportation do Beryl and Selina take to the park?

2. In Book 3, what does Silla say that she will do to get what she wants?

3. What are Deighton's happy news?

4. What does Ina tell her mother that her father plans to do?

5. What type of job do most immigrant women in the story have?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

6. Beryl's father asks Selina about her own father, and then tells her that he is a disgrace. Why does that upset Selina so much?

7. How do the clothes that Selina, Silla, and Ina wear to the wedding of 'Gupta Steed's daughter reflect their positions in the family?

8. What wish does Selina make on her 15th birthday; and why does she regret it?

9. How do Selina's daydreams about Barbados differ from her mother's memories?

10. Why is Deighton in such a happy mood at the beginning of Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Which character maintains the best and most useful and productive attitude toward the life that they lead? Make a case for your choice, and support with evidence from the book.

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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