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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 is Gloria Brown's daughter?

2. What does Uncle Pharaoh say to Mandy when she tells him she caught the catfish?

3. Where was Randall's first job out of college?

4. What does the man from the grocery store parking lot say to Velmajean in the fourth ending?

5. How old is Mandy in the story Mamiwata?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Percy Terrell dreaming about when he is rudely awoken in the story Now Why Come is That?

2. Why is Mandy camping out in the woods with the adults in the story Mamiwata?

3. Where was Percy and what was he doing when he first saw the hog?

4. What does Mamiwata give to Mandy and what is extraordinary about this gift?

5. What grates on Percy Terrell's nerves about the hog in the very beginning of the story Now Why Come is That?

6. What is Gloria Brown very good at, according to the story's narrator?

7. How does Velmajean Swearington Hoyt appear to get her miraculous powers in the story The Acts of Velmajean Swearington Hoyt and the New City of God?

8. Why is Percy Terrell so happy to see pig poop on his carpet?

9. Who tries to warn Velmajean that her pastor, Pastor Spike, might not have her best interests at heart?

10. Where is the mysterious man Amanda (Mandy) meets the first time she sees him in Mamiwata?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How would you describe Cicero's relationship with his uncle, Dax Cross? What role does the disagreement over what to do with the family's land play in the two men's relationship? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What are some tactics Kenan uses to connect separate stories in this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Why is Randall somewhat insecure and unsure in his relationship with Siddiq? How do the appearance of the ghosts seem to affect Randall's and Siddiq's relationship? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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