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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. Helga marries Pleasant Green and moves to

2. The time spent without Clare in the picture

3. Irene has a bad moment during the social event wherein she

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

5. Helga makes the decision while she is still bedridden to

Short Essay Questions

1. How did her religion help Helga through difficult times?

2. What do we learn about the marriage of Irene and Brian Redfield in this chapter? Is it healthy? Is it durable? Why, or why not?

3. 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?

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

5. Discuss Helga's new exuberance as the wife of a minister.

6. Why do you suppose Clare is pushing herself so rigorously to get involved in Irene's life? Why has she not chosen, for instance, Gertrude, to reacquaint her with the black culture? What is the particular attraction to Irene?

7. 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?

8. 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?

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who made up high society in the black population in New York in the 1920s? What did these people do for a living? From where did their money come? Focus on three examples of historical figures and discuss their occupations and lifestyles.

Essay Topic 2

Write a well-researched essay on the effects of early American blues music on women's sexuality and the perceptions that surrounded it, before and since. Was there a "code" of sexuality for women during the 20s in black Harlem? How did music influence or coincide with that code?

Essay Topic 3

Who is Hugh Wentworth? What is his role in Larsen's writing? Do a close review of both stories and determine why Larsen includes Wentworth as a character. Is he simply a literary device for her? What does he represent?

(see the answer keys)

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