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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Whrn speaking with Hugh Wentworth at the dance, Irene
(a) Is embarrassed about bringing Clare.
(b) Discloses all she knows about Clare.
(c) Does not tell him Clare is black.
(d) Complains about Brian.

2. Helga finds some satisfaction in
(a) Changing the women in the congregation.
(b) Living in poverty.
(c) Living in the south.
(d) Being a preacher's wife.

3. Irene's response to Clare's letter is that she
(a) Desperately wants to see her.
(b) Wants to rekindle their friendship.
(c) Hopes Clare will come soon.
(d) Really does not want to see her.

4. Clare is very
(a) Maternal and kind.
(b) Self-focused and manipulative.
(c) Threatening and belligerent.
(d) Generous and gregarious.

5. Does Irene want Clare in her life again?
(a) Perhaps, with conditions.
(b) Absolutely not.
(c) She is ambivalent.
(d) Desperately.

Short Answer Questions

1. Soon after Helga is well enough to be out of bed

2. Where would Brian prefer to live?

3. Brian demands that Irene not

4. Brian's comments about sex being a joke indicate that

5. Clare's admission that she is lacking in morals

Short Essay Questions

1. What is odd about the initial meeting among Irene, Gertrude and Clare? Are these conversations typical among women friends? What, if anything, makes the visit among the three women unusual?

2. During a period while Clare is gone, is there peace in the Redfield home? Why, or why not?

3. How does this time in Helga's life compare to other times? Is it similar or different? In what ways?

4. Things have taken a turn for the worse at the Redfields'. What are the clues that the story is inching toward a conclusion as it pertains to the Redfields and Clare Kendry? What conclusions can we draw about this section of the story?

5. After two years pass, Clare again wants to become involved in Irene's life. Is Irene's reaction negative or positive? Explain her reaction.

6. What is it that has kept Clare from leaving her husband and living permanently in Harlem?

7. Discuss how giving birth to her fourth child seems to be Helga's breaking point. Why does this happen? What does the death of her infant symbolize?

8. What is the author's intention when she puts the two women together in the hotel restaurant scene? What conclusions can we draw from Irene's memory of that day?

9. Hugh Wentworth, the white author, comes back into the story during the afternoon tea scene. What is Wentworth's role? Is he a true friend to Irene? To Clare?

10. What role, if any, does Clare's husband play in the story so far? Is he a comforting presence? Why, or why not? Is he a likable character?

(see the answer keys)

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