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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 time is it when Melanie approaches Cassandra while she is sitting in her brother-in-law's car?

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

3. What kind of shirt does Manny always wear?

4. What sign does Betsy Ann take to mean that the pigeons have decided to roost in her coop?

5. What color are the pigeons Betsy Ann receives from Miles?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. How does Caesar con Carol into participating in his plot to rob the disabled woman?

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

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

8. Describe the errand Gladys' mother pays Cassandra to run.

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

10. What do the pigeons symbolize?

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 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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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