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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 did Shirley tell Mo'Shay would happen to Mo'Shay's baby?

2. The pope had proclaimed the year as the ___________________________.

3. Where did Brenda celebrate mass in prison?

4. What does the sign in Robin's housing unit say?

5. Who beat Diane often as a child?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Diane's instinct when viewing her father's dead body?

2. What was the Christmas basket program in prison?

3. How did Barbara say that prison changed her--for both good and bad?

4. To what did Barbara compare puzzle pieces in her life?

5. What did Mo'Shay's mother decide about raising Mo'Shay's baby and how does Mo'Shay get the love she has needed for so long from her mother?

6. What effect did Barbara think that her incarceration had on her children?

7. How did Diane's father betray her trust with violence while on a trip to Chattanooga?

8. How did Bonnie's role at the prison change from when she was a new inmate to the present day?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Some of the women masterfully wove dramatic devices into their stories. Choose an example of symbolism, metaphors, and irony, briefly describe them and identify the technique which they embody.

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 973 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample