View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Part 1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The narrator says in Part I, “What is clear now is that of all of that hope, fear, lust, love, and grief, nothing remains but Pecola and” what?
(a) “The sands of time.”
(b) “The unyielding earth.”
(c) “The savage animals.”
(d) “The infinite sky.”

2. Part I of the novel begins with a story about a girl named Jane and her brother, who is named what?
(a) Dick.
(b) John.
(c) Bill.
(d) James.

3. In the story of Jane from Part I, Jane’s house has a door that is what color?
(a) Red.
(b) Green.
(c) White.
(d) Blue.

4. The author states in the book’s Foreword that in constructing the narrative she did not want to do what to "the characters who trashed Pecola and contributed to her collapse"?
(a) Make them seem human.
(b) Make them into martyrs.
(c) Dehumanize them.
(d) Justify their actions.

5. What does Toni Morrison refer to as the “most delicate member of society” in the book’s Foreword?
(a) An old woman.
(b) A new bride.
(c) A child.
(d) An old man.

Short Answer Questions

1. What color is Jane’s dress in the story from Part I?

2. In speaking of Pecola’s father in Part I, the narrator says, “Our innocence and faith were no more productive than his” what?

3. The author states in the Foreword that her concept of breaking the narrative of the novel into parts "didn't work" because many readers "remain touched but not" what?

4. The author states in the book's Foreword that when one is "hated for things we have no control over and cannot change," it is some consolation to know what?

5. In what year does the author say in the Foreword that she began the “story” that would eventually lead to The Bluest Eye?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 315 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample