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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. Which elementary school does the protagonist's mother want her to attend in "The First Day"?

2. What advice does Robert receive from Carleton and Carlos?

3. What surprising news does Clara give Jenny?

4. In "The Night Rhonda Ferguson Was Killed", what is Cassandra eating at the beginning of the story?

5. What kind of shirt does Manny always wear?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the pigeons symbolize?

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

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

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

5. How does Cassandra respond to the fight she has with her brother-in-law?

6. In "The First Day", how well prepared is the protagonist's mother to enroll her child in school?

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

8. Describe the conversation between the girls about the effect Rhonda's fame will have on her.

9. How do Caesar and Carol steal from their mark?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the background of each of the stories in the collection, the framework of the government and legal structure appears to hinder or support the characters. Selecting at least 2 or 3 of the stories in the collection, analyze Jones' commentary regarding the success or failure of the U.S. government to provide for the people of this community. Does Jones seem to think that the government has failed its people? Or, that it does a good job protecting their rights? Or, is his commentary perhaps more nuanced? Provide details from the text to support your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Music is often an integral part of much African-American literature. Analyze the way in which music appears in this collection. Which stories most prominently feature music or musical elements? How does this music structure or shape the story? What does the music contribute to the characters or to the story itself?

Essay Topic 3

Explore the role of geography, space, and place in two or more of the stories in Jones' collection. How does Jones capture, explore, and comment on the urban environment of Washington, D.C.? How does Jones enlarge conventional notions of the nation's capitol city? In what ways do the depictions of the city in these stories interact with or build upon on another? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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