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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. Who runs the restaurant Don has started frequenting in Chapter 12?

2. Who does JJ remind Sylvia of?

3. What was JJ's grandmother's name?

4. What dose Ava do after she sees Henry's son at Walmart?

5. What kind of an area is Brushy Mountain Road?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sylvia offer to do for Marcus that she is hoping he will not take her up on?

2. What is the significance of Brushy Mountain Road to residents of Pinewood, North Carolina?

3. What area of her property does Sylvia devote special care and attention to?

4. How does Sylvia feel about JJ Ferguson?

5. What happens between Henry and the fortune-teller in New Orleans in Chapter 5?

6. What does JJ always call Sylvia?

7. What kind of memories does Sylvia have about her own childhood?

8. Where does Ava reveal the most personal details of her anguish over her infertility?

9. What is the relationship between Mae and Jonnie Norwood, who co-run the restaurant called Sisters?

10. What was Sylvia's impression of Alice Graham, JJ's grandmother who took him in after his father killed his mother?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many black characters in the book harbor pain and terrible memories of the era of segregation. Write an essay analyzing some of the symbols, settings, or customs that most remind them of this era.

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Sylvia continues to speak with, and eventually forms a bond with, Marcus, even though she has never met him in person and had no previous relationship with him before he randomly dialed her number from jail?

Essay Topic 3

When did you first realize what had really happened to Devon? Write an essay exploring why Watts might have chosen to reveal Devon's fate so late in the novel. Cite specific references to the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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