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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. What two items does Rosa bring with her to the fortress in the opening pages of the novel?

2. How long do Tony and Rosa stay with their Aunt Velma?

3. What is the name of Lily's baby boy?

4. How does Rosa feel about Clare in general?

5. What is shouted in the courtroom after Lionel Burger speaks?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Rosa's life different than her cousin who carries her name?

2. What happens in the city on the anniversary of Lionel's death and how does Rosa react to it and why?

3. What happens to the man on the bench in the public square and what do the onlookers do?

4. What is the relationship between Noel and Rosa? How long does it last? How does it end?

5. What occupation is Lionel Burger's and how does his social standing affect his views?

6. What does Rosa feel shortly before she leaves Fats' house?

7. What is the argument that the men have at Fats' home concerning black athletes?

8. At the beginning of the novel, how is Rosa's age crucial to the intensity of the story?

9. What happened in the morning in the city that Marisa wants to know more about ,and what does Greer tell her about it?

10. Why do Rosa and Tony go stay with the Nels and for how long?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Rosa go to France? How does she almost accomplish her goal in going there?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the theme of the novel that relates to Rosa and her destiny. She states that "Our children and our children's children". What is meant by that fragment in relation to her destiny?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of the beating of the donkey? What does it symbolize for Rosa, and why can't she react to the incident the way that she wants to?

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This section contains 993 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample