View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Betsy Ann say to her father about the pigeons?

2. What time does Caesar agree to return to Manny's that night?

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

4. What color are the protagonist's socks in "The First Day"?

5. Whose pigeons does Betsy Ann go to visit for the second time?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Robert respond to his daughter's desire to raise pigeons of her own?

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

3. How does Cassandra respond to teachers' attempts to set her straight?

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

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. Discuss Caesar's feelings for Carol.

8. In "The First Day", why does the protagonist's mother have her heart set on taking her to a particular school?

9. How does Cassandra response to Roger's attempt to rape Melanie?

10. How does Rhonda Ferguson's father treat Cassandra?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the role of history in this collection of stories. On the micro level, how does personal history appear in the stories individually or as a group? On the macro level, how does national history influence the stories in the collection? Is history an inescapable force that determines all possibilities in the stories? Or, is it something that may be overcome? In your analysis, address one story in depth or discuss the overarching themes of history which connect several stories in the collection.

Essay Topic 3

Explore the ways in which class is portrayed in the collection. Referencing at least three different characters and/or stories, discuss the presentation of the upper-, middle-, and lower-classes in this collection. With whom does Jones seem to side? Which characters are portrayed with the most sympathy? Which seem to be most constrained or affected by their class status? What is Jones' message regarding class in this collection?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 975 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample