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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. Boy Willie complains that Lymon is obsessed with what?

2. Before the dream in which Avery was told to change his profession, what did he do for a living?

3. What does Boy Willie tell Wining Boy that he wants to purchase?

4. Who offers herself to Wining Boy as repayment for helping bail a family member out of jail?

5. What does Wining Boy carry with him that has a weight as heavy as a piano?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Berniece respond to Avery's question when he unexpectedly comes to visit?

2. What does Boy Willie believe about the laws of the white man?

3. How did Sutter react to the disappearance of his prized piano?

4. What story does Boy Willie tell his sister about the dog he had as a child?

5. When Berniece and Lymon's conversation turns to Avery, what advice does Lymon give to Berniece about the relationship?

6. After his failed date, what gift does Lymon give to Berniece, and what is her response to the gesture?

7. How does Wining Boy say that ghosts have affected his life?

8. What type of encounter does Boy Willie explain that he has had with the piano's potential buyer on his way home from Grace's?

9. What happens when Wining Boy goes to the city to pawn his belongings?

10. What does Lymon tell Berniece he is looking for in a woman?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

This history of slavery within the Charles family repeats itself throughout the text. Briefly explain the ways that slavery has affected the Charles family in the past, the present, and the future?

Essay Topic 2

The text of "The Piano Lesson" is presented as a play rather than straight prose. What reasons do you think August Wilson had to present his story this way? What was gained in the form of stage writing? What was lost?

Essay Topic 3

The women in this play are portrayed as weak in comparison to the men in the play. Choose one female character in the play and give two examples of the ways that they are overpowered by the male characters. Then, discuss the female character's reaction to the overpowering male characters.

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This section contains 849 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample