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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. According to Sister Taylor, what will be the cause of the next trial?

2. Which of the following best describes the Baptist position on Jim Weston's guilt?

3. How does Deacon Lindsay respond to Sister Taylor's and Sister Thomas' actions in Act 1, Scene 2?

4. What does Deacon Simms say he will use as his legal reference during the trial?

5. According to Mrs. Roberts, why should the store owner give her some meat?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are the men all interested in the hock bone that Joe Lindsay brings to the store?

2. Why does Deacon Simms get frustrated during his defense argument?

3. How do Jim's and Dave's attitudes toward Daisy change at the end of Act 3?

4. What is the setting of Act I?

5. Why does Daisy refuse to follow Jim and wander on without direction in Act 3?

6. What does the description of the Baptist church details suggest about the congregation?

7. About what do the men on the porch tease Teets and Bootsie? How do the girls respond?

8. What do the women think about Daisy's mother's reaction to the trial?

9. What examples in Act 3 reveal Daisy's manipulative side?

10. Describe Elder Simms' attitude toward the people of the town.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the struggle between Joe Clarke and Deacon Simms. What seems to be at the root of their animosity toward each other? How does each use the trial as an excuse to gain power over the other? Provide examples from the text to support your points.

Essay Topic 2

Hughes and Hurston use a Southern dialect in the dialogue of the play in order to bring authenticity to the characters. Some of their contemporaries opposed this use of dialect, complaining that the characters are made to seem uneducated and simple. Even today, academics debate the use of dialect in this and other literary works. Defend or attack the authors' use of dialect in the play. Does dialect make the characters realistic, or is it demeaning to African-Americans from the South? Provide examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

From beginning to end, Act 3 is much more about Jim's and Dave's relationship than it is about Daisy's relationship with either of the men. Prove this observation by providing and analyzing evidence that reflects the importance of their relationship to the scene.

(see the answer keys)

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