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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator in Poem Sixteen feel she should not be dependent on?

2. In Poem Fourteen, what does the narrator say she lacks in order to look for love?

3. What happens when the main character arrives to the docks at the end of Poem Nine?

4. According to the narrator, what happens when Beau learns that the main character is pregnant again in Poem Nineteen?

5. In what section of the library does the main character of Poem Nine find the books Cajun Katie and Christopher Robin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shange writes about the African American woman's struggle to find her own identity in the United States. Based on the play, how do African American women discover their identity? What journey do they have to take in order to gain their identity? Is their identity already there and they just have to "rediscover" it? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Although the majority of the characters in the playare African American, the narrator does choose to include a character of African and Latin American roots in poem three. Why do you think the author included this character? How does she change the dynamics of the play? What is significant about this character? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Based on the play, why is freedom a major theme? How does the playwright express the theme of freedom through the characters? Please use specific examples from the book.

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This section contains 315 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample