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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. In Part II, the narrator says that “drunken men with sober eyes sing in the lobby” of what hotel?
(a) “The Spanish hotel.”
(b) “The Greek hotel.”
(c) “The Polish hotel.”
(d) “The English hotel.”

2. Who does Frieda say told her about menstruation in Part II?
(a) Claudia.
(b) Mildred.
(c) Pecola.
(d) Sammy.

3. Who calls Mrs. MacTeer and tells her that Claudia, Pecola and Frieda are “playing nasty” in Part II?
(a) Paula Williams.
(b) Miss Dunion.
(c) Rosemary.
(d) Ada Williams.

4. How old is the narrator’s sister in Part II?
(a) 2.
(b) 10.
(c) 5.
(d) 13.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. According to the narrator in Part II, who “spent all their energies, all their love, on their nests”?

3. What is the name of Pecola’s brother in the novel?

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. What does Jane’s father do when Jane asks him to play in the story from Part I?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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 second version represent?

2. How does the narrator compare the state of being “put out” with being “outdoors” in “Autumn”?

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. What does Pecola pray for every night, according to the narrator in “Here is the Family…”? Why?

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

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

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

9. 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?

10. What is the primary setting for the novel? How is the author connected to this setting?

(see the answer keys)

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