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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. Where does James see the smoke coming out of while he is waiting in Chapter 1?

2. Why is the tip of Monsieur Bayonne's finger hard?

3. Who says, "I got girlfriends, too"?

4. Why did James tell Ty he was hurting?

5. What is the color of the school that James and his Mama pass while in the big city?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the sleeping arrangements in James' home.

2. What happens when James and Mama get back to the dentist's office?

3. In Chapter 13, what does James think about to keep from getting cold?

4. Why does James close his eyes while he's walking with his Mama back to the dentist's office and what happens when he closes his eyes?

5. What kind of solution is given to James to help with his toothache?

6. What happens between the woman on the bus sitting beside Mama and James?

7. Why does the preacher ask the young man to stand up?

8. How does James describe the sleet that is falling?

9. What kind of interaction do James and the girl have right before James gets off the bus?

10. What does the man in the cafe do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ty is James' little brother and seems to provide a bit of comic relief to a rather sad and depressing tale. Why do you think it was important to include Ty in the story? What are some examples of Ty's character that provide a sort of comic relief to the story? Why do you think the author included these instances in his story? Do you think Mama treats Ty differently than she treats James? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The author, Ernest J. Gaines does a wonderful job in describing the outdoor surroundings and scenes in the story. What benefit do these descriptions give the reader of The Sky is Gray? How does it make you feel when you can picture the cold wintry scene in your head and know that Mama and James are having to walk in the cold, wet sleet? Why do you think it was important to give details of the dirt road, the river, and other objects in the story? What element does this add to the story? Does it connect the reader to the characters more? How?

Essay Topic 3

James and Ty are brothers in the story, The Sky is Gray. The two characters are similar in some ways but very different in other ways. Compare and contrast the two brothers in detail. Explain their relationship with each other and with the other characters in the book. How does James relate to Mama differently than Ty does? Use specific parts from the story to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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