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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. Nana tells Amma that the news she has to share must be broken in what manner?

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

3. Chapter 29 begins how many days after the end of Chapter 28?

4. When Roisin and Amma meet up in Chapter 26, how much time has gone by since they communicated last?

5. On what holiday does Chapter 24 take place?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What habit of Belinda's does Mary point out is still going on, even though Belinda is now in London rather than Duban?

3. What reasons does Roisin offer for her ghosting of Amma and how do they all connect?

4. What kind of meltdown does Amma have in Waitrose?

5. Describe Helena's personality.

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

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

8. What misconceptions does Belinda have about homosexuality?

9. What action does Belinda take on the bus that results in Amma's admiration?

10. For what reason does Nana become brusque and severe with Belinda in the time around the shopping trip to Waitrose?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look carefully at the passages of Housegirl that describe the close relationship between Belinda and Mary. What is Donkor’s purpose for discussing at length the nature of the connection between Mary and Belinda? How does Mary’s death play into this purpose in both the prologue and final chapter of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Donkor’s novel Housegirl. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

How do the themes of dissatisfaction and acceptance function within Housegirl and what is Donkor’s message regarding these themes?

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