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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What church does Bankole attend?

2. Who calls the fire department once the fire starts in the Payne-Parrish house?

3. Where does Lauren hide her money?

4. What does Lauren think the movers from KSF look like?

5. What is Highway 101 once known as?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the affects of racial differences in the novel. Does race seem to matter more or less than in the America Butler describes than it does now?

Essay Topic 2

Lauren and others acquire "hyperempathy syndrome", which makes them feel both the pleasure and pain of those around them.

a. How does this syndrome affect the lives of those who have it?

b. What are the drawbacks and what are the benefits?

c. What is the effect of knowing that she contracts the disease from her drug-abusing mother? Does it make the disease seem more like a curse and less like a "superpower"?

d. How does having this syndrome affect your relationships with others?

e. Do you think the syndrome is real or that the sensations are illusions? Explain, based on evidence from the text?

Essay Topic 3

Violence is presented almost neutrally in this novel. Sometimes it is very stark and cruel and other times it seems as a necessary means to an end. Describe two examples of each view of violence; as a senseless tragedy or as necessary for progress. Explain whether or not you think that the violence perpetrated by Lauren and her group is necessary.

(see the answer keys)

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