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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. Who comes to meet James when his mother does not show up?

2. What kind of shops are in Manhattan's Lower East Side?

3. What religion was James' father?

4. Where was James' mother raised?

5. What day of the week does Hunter always arrive at their house?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way was church always a joyous affair for both James and his mother?

2. How does Sam's leaving home affect Ruth?

3. What are the problems in dating Peter?

4. How does the 1960s black power affect James in Chapter 3?

5. How does Betsy react to Ruth's pregnancy?

6. How does James react to Hunter's death?

7. Describe Jame McBride's family life.

8. Describe James' brother, Dennis.

9. Describe the cool father at the end of Chapter 4.

10. How does Peter change Ruth's life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Ruth's Jewish upbringing influence her approach to life? How does Ruth's approach change when she converts to Christianity? In what way does James suggest his mother struggled with her conversion to Christianity?

Essay Topic 2

What insight does James give about the Great Depression in the Thirties? How does Ruth's parents cope with the Great Depression? In what way does the Great Depression destroy, or almost destroy, the lives of people close to Ruth? What did American society learn from the Great Depression in the Thirties?

Essay Topic 3

Examine James' relationship with his mother.

1) How did James' mother help him become a success in life?

2) How does James' relationship with his mother develop throughout the book?

3) Why does it become so important for James to develop a stronger relationship with his mother?

(see the answer keys)

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