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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 does Joe get a job at the speakeasy?

2. What reason does the ambulance staff give for their delayed arrival?

3. What does Lestory find when he gets back to his cabin?

4. What does Felice tell the Traces about Dorcas?

5. What is Felice's response to Violet's invitation?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the way Dorcas is feeling at the party in the beginning of Chapter Eight.

2. In Chapter 10, why does Joe get a new job? Does this help his relationship with Violet?

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

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

5. In Chapter Eight, why does the narrator say Dorcas is getting tired of Joe?

6. Describe what Violet sees when she first spots Felice in Chapter Nine.

7. Describe the birthing scene of the naked black girl in Chapter Seven.

8. Describe the initial meeting between Golden Gray and his father in Chapter Seven.

9. Describe the relationship between True Belle and Golden Gray.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The mothers of Violet, Joe, and Dorcas die tragically, abandon their children, or kill themselves. Why do you think Morrison includes this similarity between these three characters? What does the loss of one's mother symbolize? Do you think it effectively unites the characters, or does it pull them apart?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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