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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. Where does the poet describe Maria spending her summers in "Fresh Air"?

2. Jackie's first book was a collection of seven haiku's focused on what subject?

3. What does Jacqueline Woodson describe her mother teaching her to cook in "Lessons"?

4. What did Uncle Robert tell Jackie and her siblings they could make wishes on in "Wishes"?

5. The poem "Saturday Morning" explores Jackie's longing for Greenville through her descriptions of what aspect?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author describe her school in "First Grade"?

2. How does the poet describe the first notebook she found in "Composition Notebook"?

3. How does the author describe her family's reaction in "When I Tell My Family"? What does Jackie describe telling them?

4. How does the author compare her family members in "Genetics"?

5. Who wrote the short story "The Selfish Giant"? How is this story described in the poem with the same name in Brown Girl Dreaming?

6. What is a johnny pump? How does the author describe them in "The Johnny Pump?"

7. Who is described as sporting afros in the poem "Afros"? Why was Jackie not allowed to wear this hairstyle?

8. How does the poet describe her learning methods in "Writing #2"?

9. How does the author describe her aunt in the poem "Caroline But We Called Her Aunt Kay, Some Memories"?

10. Who is described in "New Girl"? How does the poet describe her feelings for this individual?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of pride, prejudice, and the American Dream in Brown Girl Dreaming. How are these themes embodied by Georgiana, Gunnar, Mary Anne, and Jackie? What symbolism and imagery in the narrative relates to these themes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the setting of New York when Jackie first arrived there with her mother and siblings. During what decade did Jackie's family move to New York? Where did they live? Where did they move after their first home? Why? How did Jackie compare New York with South Carolina?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the imagery and symbolism in the final poems of Part 1. Why did Jackie and her family travel at night on the bus from South Carolina to Ohio? How does the author describe the river they follow on their journey? What do you think the river represents symbolically? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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