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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. Why is Joe jealous of the young men on the street?

2. Who lives with Joe on Lenox Avenue?

3. What does Joe think about Violet's crazy episodes?

4. Who attends the parade with Dorcas in 1917?

5. What happens to Dorcas's mother?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In Chapter Two, recount the surprise that Malvonne finds behind her refrigerator and her response to it.

3. How does the narrator describe the scene in which Violet attacks Dorcas's body?

4. What is the story the narrator gives behind Joe's last name?

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

6. Describe what Violet does with the picture of Dorcas in Chapter One.

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

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

9. What is the significance of Dorcas's clothespin dolls in Chapter Three?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

How is Violet described in the initial portion of the novel? Do you think this is a fair description of Violet's character? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

How do you describe the development of the relationship between Alice and Violet? Why do you think Violet is so determined to befriend Alice? What benefits do both women derive from the relationship?

(see the answer keys)

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