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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 is another name for an act of revitalization?

2. What type of fruit trees did the Delany sisters have in their yard?

3. How old was the child when he died?

4. It was common for Bessie to shoo which group away from their street?

5. Nanny had often referred to Sadie as her _____.

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Sadie's difficulties during her first year at Pratt.

2. Examine the incident with the cottage, Bessie, and the judge.

3. What was the general impression of Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s? What was the other side of the situation?

4. Discuss the Delanys' involvement with the up and coming jazz scene in Harlem.

5. The sisters talk about their situation during World War II. Discuss at least one issue the sisters had at that time.

6. Discuss how Sadie's knowledge of vitamins and minerals benefited the family over the years.

7. Sadie relays the story of one of her first experiences in New York regarding strangers. What was the experience? What did Sadie learn?

8. As one might expect, Bessie got the last word in the book. What was Bessie's final insight?

9. How did the Delanys react to the major changes that were going on around them in Harlem?

10. How did Nanny's death change Sadie's role in the family? What was the family's reaction to the change?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bessie jokes that the reason she and Sadie have lived so long was due to the fact that neither ever got married. Do you think there is any truth to that statement? Did Bessie mean what she said or was she joking? Why do you think neither sister ever married? How was that choice viewed by the rest of the family? Did either have a boyfriend? How might things have changed if one or both of the sisters had married? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Even at their advanced ages Bessie and Sadie are completely independent. The sisters say that many people do not believe that they do not have a maid or helpers of any kind. Explain why people are so surprised at the sisters' level of independence. Do you think they could handle any situation that would arise at their home? Who helped with outside chores such as banking and grocery shopping? How were the neighbors involved in the sisters' lives?

Essay Topic 3

Sadie and Bessie wanted to prove that despite their age, they are still competent women with sharp minds. Many people believe that the elderly have outlived their usefulness. Do you share the opinion that the elderly are "used up?" Do you think that the Delanys still had something to offer either professionally or personally? Explain. Also compare the elderly people you know to the Delany sisters. How are they similar?

(see the answer keys)

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