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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. How does Betsy Ann's father deal with the dead pigeons?

2. How much will Gladys' mother pay Cassandra to drive Gladys?

3. Where does Cassandra drive Gladys Harper?

4. What does the janitor, Jake Horton, send to Betsy Ann?

5. Where was the last place Caesar saw Sherman?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Caesar's feelings for Carol.

2. Describe Robert's reaction to becoming a widower and single father in "The Girl Who Raised Pigeons."

3. Describe the final interaction between Caesar and Carol.

4. In "Young Lions", discuss Carol's feelings for Caesar.

5. How does Robert treat his daughter Betsy Ann?

6. Describe the character of Cassandra G. Lewis in "The Night Rhonda Ferguson Was Killed".

7. Describe the conditions in which Betsy Ann's cousin Ralph grows up.

8. Discuss the girls' encounter with Pearl and Joyce. What unconventional decision have they made?

9. Why does the protagonist's mother slap her across the mouth in "The First Day"?

10. In "The First Day", how does the protagonist's mother prepare her for the first day of school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the form of the work as a whole. How and why does Jones join these fourteen stories together in this collection? What common themes, motifs, and images run throughout the collection? Are these stylistic choices effective in accomplishing the goal of the work as a whole? How do the stories interact or speak to each other? Provide evidence from the text to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

In the study of urban life, the theme of containment--of limited possibility for inner city people--comes to the forefront. Discuss the notion of containment or mobility in this collection of short stories. Do the characters seem confined, restrained, or inescapably bound to their circumstances in the city? Or, are they free to move in and out of the physical and social spaces provided for them within the city? How does Jones create this sense of freedom or restriction? And, what commentary does he provide on this condition?

Essay Topic 3

Examine Jones' exploration of family and family structures throughout this collection. What models of family does Jones provide in the work? How do the various models compare to one another? Are they divergent in significant ways? Do they all contribute to a common conception of family? Do Jones' families behave in conventional or expected ways? Provide examples from at least four families in the text.

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