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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 tells Joe about Dorcas's last words?

2. When does the ambulance arrive to help Dorcas?

3. Why do Joe and Violet go up on the roof together?

4. Why does Dorcas often sneak over to Felice's house?

5. Why does Dorcas have to be careful about how she looks and acts around Acton?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter Nine, why does Felice come to visit Violet and Joe?

2. What is your understanding of the relationship between Joe, Violet, and Felice in Chapters Nine and Ten?

3. Describe what Golden Gray sees in the forest as he approaches his father's cabin in Chapter Six.

4. In Chapter Nine, how does Felice describe Dorcas?

5. Why does Dorcas break up with Joe?

6. In Chapter 10, why do Joe and Violet often go to the roof? What do they do up there together?

7. In Chapter Seven, what does Henry Lestory find when he gets back to his cabin?

8. Describe Acton's reaction to the shooting of Dorcas in Chapter Eight.

9. What happens to the cotton plantation thirteen years after Golden Gray confronts his father?

10. Why do you think the ambulance takes such a long time to come help Dorcas? What excuses do they give?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Joe and Violet move from the country to the city? What reasons does Joe give for the move? Do you think these reasons are accurate? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters of Joe and Acton. Are they similar in any way, or are they mostly different? What does Dorcas find appealing in each man? How does her relationship with each man change throughout the novel?

Essay Topic 3

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

(see the answer keys)

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