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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 was the last car Myron bought Hazel?

2. How many hours was Miriam in labor with Joan?

3. On what base is Jax stationed in Chapter 3?

4. In Chapter 9, what month is it?

5. Where does Miriam have a part-time job in Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Joan compare herself and Mya to her mother in Chapter 10?

2. How do Miriam and Jax meet?

3. What car does August drive in Chapter 9, and why is it special?

4. In 1995, what does August think after she receives the phone call from Miriam telling her that Jax hit her?

5. Why is Jax upset when Miriam wears red shoes in Chpater 5?

6. In 1978, what does Hazel wear when she is gardening?

7. How does Joan describe the house her grandfather built?

8. In Chapter 12, what is Miriam doing?

9. What wakes Joan in Chapter 6, and what does she see when she goes downstairs?

10. What does Joan's father say to her mother before he walks out?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Joan is a girl of ten at the beginning of Memphis: A Novel and a young lady preparing for college at the end of the book. How do the events in the book help Joan mature and grow in the novel? What role does learning to forgive have in her growth?

Essay Topic 2

Poverty and crime are endemic in the North Memphis neighborhood where the Norths live. How do poverty and crime affect the Norths and the neighborhood where they live?

Essay Topic 3

An allusion is a figure of speech that does not directly refer to a person, place, or thing. What are some allusions in Memphis: A Novel? Why might it be difficult to decipher an allusion just by the context of a passage in a book? How do the allusions Stringfellow uses help readers’ understanding of characters or concepts?

(see the answer keys)

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