View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When was the only time Robin could enjoy the sun?

2. Which of the following was NOT included in celebrations in Bonnie's family?

3. What were lovers from separate housing units able to do during mass?

4. What did Brenda's mother keep all over the house?

5. How many children did Barbara have?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was Reese and how did he enter Mo'Shay's life?

2. What was the one constant that Robin noted occurred on each of the three Christmases she spent in prison?

3. How difficult was it for Bonnie to stay true to her religious practices while in prison?

4. Who was Shirley Shambly in Michelle Jessamy's story and why did Shirley's daughter, Mo'Shay resent her mother?

5. What did Bonnie Foreshaw write about her childhood Jamaican family celebrations and occasions?

6. When did Brenda Medina realize what her mother's terrible secret was?

7. How did Robin Cullen begin her story, "Christmas in Prison" with a religious focus regarding the pope?

8. What memory from her past did Mo'Shay have that made her apprehensive about having sex with Reese?

9. What did Brenda's mother do to her one night from which her father had to save Brenda and what did her father pray for each night?

10. What was the Christmas basket program in prison?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose three characters from different stories, and then project into the future ten years and write a brief synopsis for their lives. Be sure to include geography, marital status, work, socialization, incarceration, etc.

Essay Topic 2

Betrayal is an important theme in the stories. Can you cite an example to support this theme? Name two other themes and cite examples to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the impact of intolerance or injustice that some of the women of color experienced. What did it mean to be poor and not white in 20th century America? What stigmas did these women of color live with for their entire lives? Was there anything that could have leveled the racial discrimination playing field? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,123 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample