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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. How does the reporter describe the man who was stabbed to death?

2. How does Jones believe getting closer to Bub will serve his interests?

3. As she exists the train on her way to the butcher shop, how does Lutie account for many of her problems?

4. How do the orchestra members react to Lutie when Boots introduces her?

5. Where do Lutie and Bub currently live?

Short Essay Questions

1. After leaving Jim, Lutie never reaches out to him again. How does this single fact reflect Lutie's strength?

2. After reading Chapter 5, it is clear what motivates Min. Using the knowledge you've gained about Min, compare her to Lutie. How do the women differ? What characteristics do they share?

3. What is likely the reason Bub refuses to tell his mother he's afraid of the dark?

4. Chapter 5 introduces the relationship between Mrs. Hedges and Min. How would you describe this relationship? Why does Min finds refuge in Mrs. Hedges?

5. How does chapter 3 illustrate the racism and sexism faced by Lutie? Provide at least 1 example of each.

6. Chapter 1 opens with the description of a cold and windy day in New York City. Why might the author have chosen to describe the wind through personification?

7. How does Lutie's grandmother's insistence that the butchers in Harlem use embalming fluid to give their meat a nice fresh color reflect her grandmother's overall view of life?

8. Why does Lutie refuse to wear the blouse crushed by Jones?

9. Chapter 5 is written from Min's point of view. Why has the author chosen to use different narrators?

10. Lutie slaps Bub when she sees him with a shoe shining kit. Why does a shoe shining kit inspire such rage in Lutie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jones is not well received by the neighborhood. His strange behaviors intensify this rejection, yet Jones makes no efforts to alter his behaviors so that he might be deemed acceptable to his neighbors. What does this refusal reflect about Jones? What does his rejection reflect about the community? How is Jones' treatment similar to Lutie's treatment, in terms of the sexism and racism she experiences? Use ideas from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Considering the context of the book and the author's ideas on sexism, racism, and poverty, do you think Lutie ever had a chance at success? If she had been able to escape the role of murderer, do you think she would have made it off "The Street"? Explain your response and support it with details from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Up until the novel's end, Lutie can be heralded as a virtuous character. Then, she kills Boots. In an essay, chart Lutie's decline and go further to explain it. What is the author's message in the demise of her main and moral character?

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