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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. In Book 3, what is Silla's reaction after hearing her father reminisce about courting her mother?

2. What type of mood does Deighton have on that Monday morning before he goes to the bank to cash the check from the land sale?

3. When they get to the park, where do Beryl and Selina go?

4. How much does the Boyce family get from the sale of their land?

5. What is The New Light?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. How do Deighton's actions support Silla's annoyances with him?

8. In Book 1, why does Selina not want to wear the second-hand clothes that Silla has brought home?

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

10. Deighton starts to believe in a cult-like religion. Which cult-like religion is it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the pivotal moment in Selina's life that changes her entire future? Is there more than one? Define Selina's pivotal moments, and analyze how they change her.

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

How does the Greek myth of Iphigenia relate to this novel? What does Selina think about her future that is similar to that of Iphigenia? Does Selina's future turn out like that of Iphigenia; or does it turn out in a different way? Why does the author include that reference?

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