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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 was Wining Boy's occupation while he was married?

2. After he returns from the city, what does Wining Boy want to do to relax?

3. Which family traded the piano to the Sutter family for slaves?

4. What color is the ghost wearing?

5. When Boy Willie realizes that Wining Boy is in town, what does he ask him for?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Ophelia's reaction to the trade between her husband and Nolander?

2. How does Lymon come into possession of Wining Boy's suit?

3. What confrontation do Boy Willie and Berniece get into as Boy Willie watches Berniece comb Maretha's hair?

4. What role does Berniece play in the exorcism of Sutter's ghost?

5. What happens between Boy Willie and Grace once they left to return to her apartment?

6. What religious rationalization does Boy WIllie have for the revenge he is seeking against the Sutter family?

7. What reaction does the family have to Boy Willie's sudden arrival at their doorstep?

8. Why does Berniece send Maretha to the store on the day that Boy Willie intends to remove the piano?

9. How does Avery begin his exorcism of Sutter's ghost?

10. What realization does Boy Willie make when he hears his heart beating as a "black man's heart"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The idea of supernatural beings within the Charles home is particularly strong in relation to Sutter's ghost.

Part 1. Give three examples of moments in which one or more members of the Charles family feels the presence of Sutter's spirit in their home.

Part 2. Briefly explain the reasons suggested for Sutter's stalking of the Charles family, and particularly, his spirit's apparent presence within the piano.

Part 3. Explain the various ways that members of the Charles family attempt to get rid of Sutter's spirit.

Essay Topic 2

The piano itself is arguably the strongest symbol in the entire play. Explain the history of the piano and briefly discuss why the physical structure of the piano can be seen as a symbol within the Charles family.

Essay Topic 3

The piano itself is arguably the strongest symbol in the entire play, standing in as a symbol for the Charles family as a whole but also for the members of the family as individuals. Choose one member of the Charles family and explain how the piano acts as a unique symbol for that character's storyline. Briefly discuss that character's relationship with the piano as a result of that symbolism.

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