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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. Who does Ava talk to about a rash of break-ins that have occurred lately?

2. How many children has Joyce lost?

3. With whom does Joyce work?

4. Why is Aretha one of Joyce's favorite girls from the Sewing Circus?

5. What is one of Ava's big objections to Baptist teachings?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is different about Ava's morning the night after she had sex with Eddie?

2. What do Eddie and Ava want Joyce to do and how do they try to convince her?

3. What does Eddie do about Frank and Mattie?

4. Why does Ava get angry at the pharmacist when she went to get her prescription?

5. What does Ava do when she gets up and who does she encounter? How does she feel?

6. What does Joyce decide to do about the damage to her window?

7. What do Joyce and Ava do the night Gerry brought the envelope to the house?

8. How does the new minister seem to be working out?

9. What is the best thing that happens in Eddie, Joyce and Ava's life that summer?

10. What happens on the way home from the airport?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The summer has reached its climax for the main characters. The author has positioned each of the characters in the way of tremendous conflict so that each may know what matters most to them, and what they are prepared to do when threat emerges.

1. What do you think is meant by this statement? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

2. What do you think Joyce should do about Imani? Use examples from the text and your own life to support your answer.

3. Why do you think Ava would run when Eddie asks her to marry? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Being diagnosed HIV positive has hastened Ava's enlightenment and sense of urgency to make the most of her life, and this comes through in the tone and style created by the author.

1. What do you think is meant by this statement? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

2. What would you do if you were in Ava's situation? Use examples from the book and your life to illustrate your answer.

3. Do you think a diagnosis like Ava's is the only way people can learn to live witha sense of urgency? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Ava is re-learning love in her attachment to Imani and finds herself capable of more than she had ever dreamed possible.

1. What do you think this statement means? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

2. Do you think an adult can learn anything from a baby? Why or why not?

3. Do you think someone can "forget" love and have to "re-learn" it? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 923 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample