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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 Brenda's father pray for every night?

2. Why did Diane turn into a problem child at school?

3. What did Diane call each one of her chapters?

4. Who was Barbara's husband?

5. What crime did Bonnie commit that landed her in prison?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. 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?

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

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

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

10. What was the Christmas basket program in prison?

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

Hatred takes on an almost human persona in the women's stories. What was the source of much of the hatred? Why was the hatred pervasive? What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

Essay Topic 3

Loss seems to be almost an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the sense of loss for the women? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the women's lives? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,067 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample