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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 did Jacob tell Isaac was the first girl he had sex with?

2. How old was Isaac when he had the lead in a school play?

3. What did Isaac title his piece that won an art competition?

4. The morning after Isaac had the lead in a school play, what flowers does Jacob remember were on the breakfast table?

5. When Rachel called the police on Jacob, where was Isaac bleeding from?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who did Jacob have an affair with in the 1970s and how did he describe the affair?

2. Why did Rachel call the police on Jacob?

3. Who was Isaac's first girlfriend and what did they do together?

4. How did Isaac act when he saw the graves of his great-grandparents and Esau?

5. What trip did Jacob and Isaac make the summer after Isaac's 14th birthday?

6. How did Jacob's family get 300 acres of land in Arkansas?

7. What did Jacob realize about Black men and emotions after reading Malcolm X?

8. After Jacob beat Isaac, how long did it take Isaac to start talking to Jacob again?

9. When Jacob and Isaac visited the Rose of Sharon Cemetery, why did Jacob tell Isaac he was privileged?

10. How are the graves of Jacob's family marked?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jacob and Rachel got married quickly when she became pregnant. How were they different from one another? How did those differences turn into incompatibilities?

Essay Topic 2

Metaphors and similes are figures of speech that are used to make comparisons between things. Metaphors seem to imply an equal comparison, while similes seem to imply a similarity between two things. Does Black use more metaphors or similes in the novel? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers comprehend concepts? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers make the writing more interesting?

Essay Topic 3

The tensions between Jacob and Rachel caused strained family dynamics. How would you describe the dynamics between Jacob, Rachel, and Isaac? Why were they strained?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 970 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample