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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. Frieda slams her books on whose head when she and Claudia encounter schoolboys taunting Pecola in Part III?

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

3. Mr. Henry tells Claudia and Frieda that the prostitutes who just left were what in Part III?

4. What kind of lotion does Claudia say the girls from places like Mobile and Aiken use in Part III?

5. Where does Maginot Line say Pecola has gone when Claudia and Frieda come looking for her in Part IV?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What are Pauline Breedlove’s feelings about motherhood, according to the narrator in “See Mother…”?

3. How does the conflict between Maureen, Claudia, Frieda, and Pecola escalate in “Winter”?

4. What does Frieda say is the real reason she is crying when Claudia finds her in bed after Mr. Henry’s been kicked out in Part IV?

5. What are Claudia and Frieda’s feelings about Maureen Peal when she moves to Lorain in “Winter”?

6. How does the narrator distinguish the difference between “colored girls” and “black girls” in “See the Cat…”?

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

8. What are the perceptions of Claudia and Frieda as they wait to leave with Pecola from her mother’s workplace in “Spring”?

9. How is Cholly Breedlove’s childhood described in “See Father…”? Who raised Cholly?

10. How does Mrs. Breedlove respond when she finds the spilled cobbler in “Spring”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the setting of the novel and examine the different aspects of this time and place in history. What was the political atmosphere in America like in 1941? When did the U.S. enter WWII? How were race relations characterized at this time? How did race relations differ in the north and south in the U.S.?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Define the term “foreshadowing,” and discuss different reasons that an author may choose to use foreshadowing in his/her narrative. In what ways does foreshadowing develop suspense? What foreshadowing is presented in Part I of The Bluest Eye? How does the author’s use of foreshadowing here affect the reader?

(see the answer keys)

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