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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. When Belinda tells Mary the words she will use to tell Amma about Mary, what is NOT a word Belinda uses?

2. Belinda recalls that Mary had once told a woman frustrated by a puzzle that it was okay to have only what?

3. Which Shakespeare play does Belinda discuss with Amma when they are home sick together?

4. Chapter 25 begins how long after Chapter 24 ends?

5. Belinda describes Mary as "a friend who has a very big" what "inside of her" (146)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What event causes Amma to feel a sense of purpose previously unfamiliar to her?

2. What major plot point occurs within the scene at Starbucks?

3. To what type of location does Amma take Belinda on the girls' eighth trip home from Abacus College?

4. How does Donkor incorporate sensory detail into Belinda's long walk between Streatham and Brixton Hills?

5. What does Amma believe about the need for love to be public?

6. For what reason are Belinda and Amma stuck together at home for two solid days in Chapter 19?

7. What major revelation does Amma make to Belinda?

8. What is the significance of Amma's memory of the television show called Brookside?

9. What aspect of Belinda's reaction to the news about Mary causes Amma to cry "hot tears" (223)?

10. What does Amma's teddy bear symbolize?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sensory details are used frequently by Donkor in order to create vivid pictures of each character's progression through the narrative of Housegirl. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used serve Donkor’s creation of vivid characters to populate the narrative.

Essay Topic 2

Trace the characterization arc of Amma’s character throughout the novel Housegirl. Discuss whether Amma is a round or flat character and whether Amma is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Donkor’s focus on the theme of class difference in Housegirl. What message is Donkor sending about wealth, socioeconomic status, and privilege?

(see the answer keys)

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