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

2. What was the husband's occupation?

3. Bessie says that she thought Martin Luther King, Jr. was a(n) _____.

4. In what year did the child die?

5. Where did the controversy take place?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Bessie's early days at Columbia. Which family member was most helpful to Bessie during that time?

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. Examine the effect Nanny's death had on Sadie.

5. What prompted the family to move to New York? Who moved to the city first? Why?

6. Discuss Hubie's role in the political arena in New York.

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

8. Sadie and Bessie's neighbors in the projects were upset about the actions of the neighborhood kids. How did the sisters react to the issue?

9. Discuss the effect of the Depression on Harlem. Also discuss the end of the Harlem Renaissance.

10. What is written about the assassinations of the famous leaders of the time, particularly those involved in the Civil Rights Movement?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Many people tried to get the sisters to use modern technology. At the time, that meant getting a telephone. Explain why the sisters refused to have a phone. What was their reason? What might happen if there was an emergency? How do you think the sisters would have reacted to today's modern technology? Do you think either would have given in and tried some of the new gadgets on the market today?

Essay Topic 3

The Delany family attended school at St. Augustine's, as did their parents. Discuss in detail St. Augustine's school. Why did Henry and Nanny attend St. Augustine's? What were their majors? What made the Delanys decide to stay there? What kind of education did the children receive at the school? What jobs did Henry and Nanny have? Was St. Augustine's school a religious, private or public school? Where did the children go after leaving St. Augustine's school?

(see the answer keys)

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