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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. What do Violet and Joe do all night the first time they meet?

2. Why is Violet committed to gaining weight?

3. In the beginning of the book, why does Joe say he shoots Dorcas?

4. Why does Joe want to stay near Dorcas after he shoots her?

5. What does Malvonne do for a living?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator describe the way Joe and Violet meet in Chapter Four?

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

3. In Chapter Five, how does the author describe Harlem in the springtime?

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

5. In Chapter One, how does the narrator describe Violet Trace?

6. Briefly describe the nature of Joe and Dorcas's relationship as described in Chapter Two.

7. How does the narrator describe Harlem of the 1920s in Chapter One?

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

9. Why do Joe and Violet fall into such deep debt in Chapter Five?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Violet decide she never wants to have children? What impact does this have on her marriage? How does her desire to have children change throughout the book and why?

Essay Topic 2

How does Morrison introduce the topic of sexism in her book? How do sexist attitudes impact the wives of both female and male characters?

Essay Topic 3

What is the symbolism Morrison includes in her novel of Violet releasing the birds? What events lead up to this, and how is Violet different afterward?

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