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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. How old was Mo'Shay?

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

3. What was Robin unable to afford while in prison?

4. Where did the character in #145 work?

5. When did Mo'Shay promise to have sex with the boy in #151?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. What is the significance of the chapter, "Dancing in Leg Chains"?

4. Who were Barbara Parsons Lane's first visitors while in prison, and what did she consider to be the worst part of her incarceration?

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

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

7. 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?

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

9. How did Diane Bartholomew describe her very difficult childhood?

10. Who was Manny and what negative impact did he have on Brenda's life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain your opinion of the women's writing styles. Did they deliver information succinctly? How did they develop the personalities? What was the general tone of the stories? What was the most appealing aspect of the women's writing for you? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the role of the family in the women's stories. What does it mean for some of the characters? How does the family evolve in its support of each other? How are some of the families fractured? Give examples.

Essay Topic 3

The theme of struggling with personal identity is an important one in this book. Describe how it extends through setting, characters and issues and provide examples for each.

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