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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How long does it take for Joe and Violet to pay off the debt on their farm?
(a) Six months.
(b) They never pay it off.
(c) Twenty-two years.
(d) Five years.

2. Who does Alice try to teach Dorcas to avoid?
(a) Social workers and teachers.
(b) White male teenagers and adults.
(c) All other blacks.
(d) The wealthy.

3. What happens to Violet's mother after her father leaves the family?
(a) She earns an education.
(b) She remarries and becomes abusive.
(c) She becomes incapacitated.
(d) She becomes insane and tries to kill her children.

4. What is the reaction from Joe's friends and family when he and Violet move to the city?
(a) They are glad Joe and Violet are moving away.
(b) They are surprised.
(c) They are disappointed and vow never to speak to Joe again.
(d) They are overjoyed for the couple.

5. What does Violet do in response to her crazy episodes?
(a) She becomes more and more silent.
(b) She goes to find a priest.
(c) She becomes a musician.
(d) She writes in her journal.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Dorcas insist Joe take her?

2. How is Violet described by the author?

3. What does Joe not recall from his early days with Violet?

4. What does the train conductor announce when he walks through the cabin where Joe and Violet are standing?

5. What does Violet's father bring the children when he visits?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the series of thoughts in Joe's mind the night he shoots Dorcas in Chapter Five.

2. In Chapter Five, what does Joe think of when he imagines Dorcas?

3. In Chapter Four, why does True Belle come to Virginia to care for her grandchildren?

4. In Chapter Two, what reason does the narrator give for Joe killing Dorcas?

5. Describe the relationship between Violet and Alice as presented in Chapter Three.

6. Why is Violet known as "Violent" Trace in town?

7. How does Violet learn more about Dorcas in Chapter One? What does she learn?

8. Describe Joe's recollection of the train ride to Maryland in Chapter Two.

9. In Chapter Two, what does Joe tell Dorcas that he never tells Violet?

10. In what ways does Alice try to protect Dorcas?

(see the answer keys)

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