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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 happens to Violet after she attacks Dorcas's body?

2. How much does Joe pay for the bedroom he and Dorcas meet in?

3. What does Violet steal during one of her crazy episodes?

4. What does Dorcas rescue from her home as a small child?

5. Why doesn't a fire truck intervene during the house fire in Dorcas's home?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Describe the first time Joe officially meets Dorcas.

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

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

7. Describe the relationship between Alice Manfred and Dorcas.

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

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

10. Describe how Dorcas's mother dies.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Felice has a strong attachment to the ring Dorcas is buried wearing. What does the ring signify, and why is it so important to Felice? What greater concepts are initiated in the story about the ring?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Briefly summarize the incident when Malvonne finds the mail behind the refrigerator. What does she do in response? Why does she spend time doing these sorts of things, and what irony do you find in the events?

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This section contains 564 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample