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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 does Sylvia tell JJ when he asks her about Don in Chapter 10?

2. Why does JJ tell Sylvia he has not seen his sister recently?

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

4. What is one of Henry's first jobs in Pinewood before he gets married?

5. In Chapter 3, where does Ava tell Sylvia that Lana would like Sylvia to go with Lana?

Short Essay Questions

1. What name does JJ tell Sylvia he goes by now in Chapter 10?

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

3. What kinds of things does Sylvia encourage Marcus to do?

4. What does JJ always call Sylvia?

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

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

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

8. What happens in Chapter 12 when Sylvia calls Devon?

9. Who is the first person Ava confides in when she finds out Henry has a son he has never told her about?

10. Why does Sylvia resist the idea of going on a cruise with her sister Lana?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the themes of this novel is the lack of opportunities and options for people, especially black people, in a depressed manufacturing town that has been losing jobs and residents for years. Do you think any of the characters on this novel would say achieving the American Dream is still possible? Write an essay explaining why or why not, citing references to the text in your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring the origins and nature of JJ's infatuation with and attraction toward Ava, noting how it seems to have evolved over the years. Cit specific references to the text in your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing the meaning of JJ's dream in Chapter 44. What do you think Watts is trying to say about JJ's feelings about Ava, Pinewood, and JJ's own future?

(see the answer keys)

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