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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 is the name of the Gaither sisters' father?

2. What information does Delphine relate when she calls home in "Collect Call"?

3. How old is Fern in the novel?

4. What does Cecile's assumed name mean in the Yoruba language?

5. What girl makes fun of Fern in class in "Coloring and La-La"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Big Ma worry about the girls' trip?

2. What is symbolic about Cecile's kitchen in the novel?

3. Why does Cecile send her daughters to the People's Center in "Inseparable"?

4. What do the Black Panthers discuss with Cecile in "For the People"?

5. Why does one of the Black Panthers harass Fern in "Breakfast Program"?

6. How is the theme of counterculture explored in the first chapters of the novel?

7. What does Cecile give to Delphine to take to the People's Center in "Inseparable"?

8. What are the repercussions of Cecile's actions of independence in the novel?

9. What are Delphine's initial perceptions of the Black Panthers in the novel?

10. How is the setting described at the People's Center in "Breakfast Program"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the plot structure of One Crazy Summer. Where in the narrative do the exposition, rising action, and climax occur? What is revealed in the falling action and denouement of the story? Do you feel the plot is structured traditionally? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the family history of Delphine and her sisters. By whom have they been raised? When did their mother abandon the family? What kind of relationship have the sisters had with their mother up until their arrival in Oakland?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of counterculture in the novel. What are different examples of counterculture that are experienced by the Gaither sisters? What are their impressions of the counterculture in San Francisco in 1968?

(see the answer keys)

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