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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What kind of car is Rosemary sitting in while she eats bread and butter in the beginning of Part II?
(a) A 1930 Chevrolet.
(b) A 1939 Buick.
(c) A 1932 Ford.
(d) A 1937 Cadillac.

2. The narrator states in Part II, “The only living thing in the Breedloves' house was” what?
(a) “The coal stove.”
(b) “The kitchen sink.”
(c) “The couch.”
(d) “The bed.”

3. 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?
(a) That the hatred is not accurate.
(b) That the hatred is unjustified.
(c) That the hatred is justified.
(d) That the hatred is accurate.

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

5. Mrs. MacTeer exclaims during her diatribe in Part II, “I got about as much business with another mouth to feed as a cat has with” what?
(a) “Side pockets.”
(b) “A wristwatch.”
(c) “A wheelbarrow.”
(d) “A top hat.”

Short Answer Questions

1. The author describes "seeing oneself preserved in the amber of" what, in the novel's Foreword?

2. What does Jane’s mother do when Jane asks her to play in the story from Part I?

3. What is the narrator of Part II’s sister’s name?

4. The author states in the Foreword, “In trying to dramatize the devastation that even casual racial contempt can cause I chose a unique situation, not" what?

5. How old is the narrator’s sister in Part II?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Claudia and Frieda receive at the beginning of the school year in “Autumn”? What conversation consumes “the grownups” in the opening of this chapter?

2. For what reason does the Breedlove family stay in the apartment, according to the narrator in “Here is the House…”?

3. How did author Toni Morrison perceive the Civil Rights Movement’s slogan “Black is Beautiful”? How is this seen in the novel?

4. According to some critics, the three versions of the reader presented on the first page of The Bluest Eye represent three lifestyles presented in the novel. What does the first version represent?

5. Describe the narrative style of the novel. Who narrates the opening passages before “Autumn”?

6. Is the setting of the novel focused on a specific societal group, or is the setting inclusive of different racial groups?

7. According to some critics, the three versions of the reader presented on the first page of The Bluest Eye represent three lifestyles presented in the novel. What does the third version represent?

8. How is the apartment of the Breedlove family described in “Here is the House…”?

9. What important symbolic images are presented in the opening “Dick and Jane” reader and the preface in Part I?

10. How is the MacTeer home described in “Autumn”? How are the relationships between the children and the adults characterized?

(see the answer keys)

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