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 Lydia ask of the nurse who calls to inform her of her mother's death?

2. What is Mildred following through the city?

3. Where does Mildred want to go during the conversation with the woman?

4. How old is Avis?

5. Who had Lydia been dreaming of when the phone rang?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the way the dreadlock man responds to Marvella's children.

2. How do the Gospelteers respond to the fire at the church?

3. In "An Orange Line Train to Ballston", describe the opening of the story.

4. Why was the protagonist of "The Store" initially hesitant to respond to the ad in the paper?

5. Describe Lydia's lifestyle in "Lost in the City".

6. Discuss Lydia's mother's reaction to the first boy she brings home.

7. In "The Store", how does the protagonist begin his employment at the grocery store?

8. How does Samuel Jr. react when he learns that his sister has kept contact with their father over the years?

9. Explain why the judge tells Samuel Williams Sr.'s lawyer that he cannot defend a man who will not defend himself.

10. Describe the first job the protagonist has in "The Store".

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Analyze the way in which Jones portrays poverty in this book. Through a close examination of at least three characters in the book, discuss Jones' approach to the sensitive topic of poverty in the African-American community. Are these characters defined by their socio-economic status? How does he treat characters who live in poverty? Does their economic standing seem a reflection of their own actions or of a flawed system?

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 962 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample