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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. How long has Hazel's father been gone in Chapter 13?

2. In Chapter 23, what is Joan wearing when she hears the phone ring?

3. What time does Joan hear the phone ring in Chapter 23?

4. In Chapter 21, how long does Joan have to apply to the school Professor Mason wants her to apply to?

5. In Chapter 17, when is Jax to report to North Carolina?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the conditions like when Hazel's mother sends her to the store in Chpater 13?

2. What was Derek's trial like?

3. How do the visits August makes to see Derek affect her?

4. What shop is a staple in the North Memphis neighborhood where Hazel lives?

5. What does Professor Mason, Joan's art teacher at Rhodes suggest her senior year?

6. Why does Miriam want Joan to be a doctor?

7. How does Mya react when the World Trade Center towers fell and the Pentagon was attacked?

8. What are August, Miriam, and Joan doing in Chapter 24, when the doorbell rings after two in the morning, and who do they find at the door?

9. How long has Miss Dawn known August?

10. How did Hazel's father die?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Derek goes on trial for murder. Why is the verdict of the trial a foregone conclusion?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Metaphors and similes are figures of speech that are used to make comparisons between things. Metaphors seem to imply an equal comparison, while similes seem to imply a similarity between two things. Does Stringfellow use more metaphors or similes in the novel? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers comprehend concepts? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers make the writing more interesting?

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