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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 does the protagonist of "The First Day" wear in the opening scene?

2. What does Janet teach Robert to do using a blond baby doll?

3. Where does Jenny encounter Clara and Robert?

4. When the protagonist of "The First Day" initiates the "old, old game", how does her mother respond?

5. What surprising news does Clara give Jenny?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the central difference between Caesar and Sherman?

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

3. Describe the relationship between Robert and Clara in "The Girl Who Raised Pigeons."

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

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

6. Describe the environment in which Betsy Ann grows up.

7. What does Betsy Ann do to lose her father's trust? Why does he become so angry?

8. In "The First Day", why does the little girl at Walker-Jones Elementary look at the protagonist's mother as though she is "diseased"?

9. How does the protagonist of "The First Day" describe the woman who greets her at Seaton Elementary?

10. How does the protagonist's mother feel about leaving her child at the school in "The First Day"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the collection, Jones presents a fairly nuanced portrayal of gender roles in the African-American community of Washington, D.C. Select at least 3 short stories from the collection and discuss the ways in which the characters in these stories respond to the roles imposed on them based on their gender. Do these characters conform or rebel? What do we learn about them based on their compliance or defiance? What might Jones' message regarding gender roles be?

Essay Topic 2

Selecting at least 3 stories, discuss the way in which Jones comments on marriage in this collection. Is his outlook on marriage positive or negative? Is it perhaps more nuanced than that? What factors does he explore in the marital relationship? How do these various factors explain the success or failure of the marriages in the stories? How do these stories work to form a broader commentary on marriage in American society?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the role of community in the stories throughout this collection. How do people form community in Jones' work? What do their communities mean in their daily lives? What is Jones' commentary about the significance of community and social interaction?

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