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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 does James pretend he's not scared of?

2. Which bus does Mama say they are coming back on?

3. Why doesn't James sit down when he finds a seat on the bus?

4. When Mama used to stay up late, where would the family sit?

5. James can't ever be scared or can't ever what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does James think about when he looks up at his Mama while they are waiting in the dentist's office?

2. When James thinks about home during his walk back to the cafe what does he remember?

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

4. What does James do first thing in the morning in Chapter 2?

5. What does James see when he wakes up on the morning they are to go see the dentist?

6. What does Mama do when James says he doesn't want to kill the second bird?

7. What does Mama suggest James kill the redbird with and what does she do when he doesn't want to kill the bird?

8. Why does James say he had to kill the redbird?

9. Where do Mama and James go to get warm and what does Mama do to make sure James has enough time to get warm?

10. What other thing does Monsieur Bayonne do besides praying to help James' jaw?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The title of this story is The Sky is Gray. Why do you think Ernest J. Gaines used this title? There is a time in the book that James tells the reader that the sky is gray. Why do you think this was important? Why was it James that proclaimed the color of the sky? What kind of underlying meaning does this title bring to mind? Explain your answers and use specific examples from the story.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the story, The Sky is Gray, James and his mother are almost always together. Describe Octavia and James' relationship. Would you consider their relationship to be a normal mother/son connection? Why or why not? How does James feel about his mother? How does Octavia feel about her son? Why doesn't Octavia express her love for James and do you think she really loves him?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the different moods presented in the story, The Sky is Gray. What type of events help to create the moods in each chapter or section of the story? How do the moods change throughout the book? Are there any underlying moods that stay throughout the whole story? If so, what are they? By the end of the book, has the mood changed for the better or for the worst?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 880 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample