View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What had happened to Lone's birth mother before the group headed to Ruby arrived?

2. Why is Richard concerned about Billie?

3. What was the occupation of the person that raised Lone DuPres?

4. How many founding families arrived in Ruby?

5. What does Arnette bring to the Convent after her wedding?

Short Essay Questions

1. Though she was welcomed back home by her father, why did Pallas return to the Convent?

2. What do some of the people that try to stop the massacre seem more concerned about than the welfare of the women of the Convent?

3. Why do the Fleetwoods blame Lone for problems with their grandchildren, and what evidence is there that the situation was not Lone's fault?

4. What sort of prejudice does Patricia witness in Ruby?

5. What are some possible reasons for Connie spending so much time in the basement?

6. Why do some people believe that Senior Pullman's negative remarks are directed at Richard Misner?

7. How do the women react to Lone's warning that men are coming to harm them?

8. What sort of dilemma does Billie face in her romantic life?

9. Why does Gigi receive fifty dollars for the box she finds under the bathtub?

10. What do Arnette and Soane have in common in terms of being parents?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

On multiple occasions the civil authority in the area of Ruby is referred to as the "white law." The "white law" is something no citizen of Ruby wants to come in contact with. Explain what citizens of Ruby mean by "white law" and offer explanations based on information from the text and your own knowledge of history about why citizens of Ruby would fear the "white law."

Essay Topic 2

The racial situation in the United States during the time that "Paradise" was set was different from the situation today. Today we have the benefit of hindsight. Given what we know today, was creating their own towns the best alternative for black people given their limited options, or was it merely a form of self-imposed segregation?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the structure of the novel "Paradise". Is the plot progression chronological and linear, or does the presentation of the story move forward and backward in time? How does the structure of the novel affect the overall story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 783 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample