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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 Rawlings bring to share with the Townsends at their party?

2. What was the name of Moe's daughter that became ill?

3. How many guests did the Townsends invite to their party?

4. What did Rawlings bribe the children to do by offering to sew them new clothes?

5. What did Rawlings use to signal to outsiders when her outhouse was in use?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Rawlings decide to build an indoor shower for herself?

2. What type of relationship did Rawlings have with Black Aunt Martha Mickens?

3. What experience with outhouses did Rawlings have when she was growing up?

4. How did Mr. Marsh Turner die?

5. How did Rawlings come to shoot a pig in her garden?

6. After she left Rawlings's home for the first time, what type of working relationship did Geechee have with the farm?

7. How did Rawlings become involved in the Townsend children's education?

8. How did Geechee and Rawlings meet?

9. Why did Mr. Swilley believe that Rawlings was in love with him, and why did Rawlings let him go from her service?

10. How did the Townsends entertain Rawlings at their pound party?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

This memoir takes the reader through all four seasons in Cross Creek. Describe each of the four seasons on Rawlings's farm in Cross Creek. What work does Rawlings do on the farm during these seasons? Why do you think Rawlings chose to set up her memoir in the cycle of seasons? How does the cycle of seasons reflect or mirror Rawlings's emotions in the novel? How does the setup reflect Rawlings's views on time and life in general? Do you think this was an effective setup for the memoir?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, Rawlings frequently brings up the idea of "racial memory." How does Rawlings define "racial memory"? How was racial memory significant in the particular era in which Rawlings lived in Cross Creek. Give at least two examples of moments from the memoir in which racial memory was significant. How did racial memory affect relationships in both of these scenes?

Essay Topic 3

At the end of the memoir, Rawlings struggles to come to terms with the idea of land ownership. First, describe what Rawlings believes is the responsibility of an owner to their land. Do you think Rawlings embodied these responsibilities? Then, explain who or what Rawlings believes is the true owner of land. In Rawlings's opinion, who owns Cross Creek? Do you agree with her?

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