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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. Where does Pecola say the prostitute China is going to take her to see the square in Part IV?

2. How did Pauline Williams injure her foot when she was young?

3. Which of the prostitutes with Mr. Henry in Part III is described as “the one church women never allowed their eyes to rest on”?

4. Who is the gym teacher that Maureen describes as bow-legged in Part III?

5. Who came running out with his gun during the conflict with Mr. Henry in Part IV?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mr. Henry tell Claudia and Frieda about his unexpected guests in Part III? What do the girls do?

2. How does the narrator describe her father’s face in the opening of “Winter”? What imagery is used?

3. What exchange takes place between Maginot Line and Claudia and Frieda in “Spring”?

4. What leads to Claudia and Frieda buying snacks at Miss Bertha’s in Part III?

5. How does the narrator describe the blooming flowers and twigs in the opening of “Spring”?

6. What happens when Frieda, Claudia, and Maureen Peal encounter some schoolboys taunting Pecola in “Winter”?

7. “See the Cat…” begins with a discussion of what “types of girls”? Where are these individuals from?

8. How is Geraldine’s family described in “See the Cat…”? Upon what does Geraldine focus her affection?

9. Why does Frieda tell Claudia has happened with Mr. Henry in the beginning of Part IV?

10. How are Pauline Williams’s early years described in “See Mother…”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the symbolism presented in “Autumn” and discuss the different meanings of the symbols presented. What are symbols that represent the theme of “growing up” in the novel? How does Pecola’s first menstruation represent this theme metaphorically?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Claudia MacTeer as the narrator of much of the novel. How old is Claudia in the opening of the narrative? Do you like this character? Why or why not? How does Claudia change in the course of the story?

Essay Topic 3

What adjectives and descriptive words are used in “See the Cat…” to describe the “types of girls” who come to Lorain from places like Mobile, Marietta, etc.? How do these girls differ from the “black girls” that Claudia and Frieda consider themselves? Do you think that the narrator views the girls as better than them, or simply as perceived as better?

(see the answer keys)

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