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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. What is the name of the boy Ruth meets in this chapter?

2. What does Ruth's father keep behind the counter in his store?

3. What neighborhood in New York does James live in?

4. What does Ruth drop behind the store?

5. Who does James interview in his book?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Chapter 2 written in italics?

2. Describe the household James was brought up in.

3. Describe Ruth's school years.

4. How does Ruth respond when James asks what color God is?

5. Describe Sam's life.

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

7. Why does James hit the boy he meets on the bus?

8. How does Ruth's life take a turn for the worse when the family moves to Virginia?

9. Describe James' brother, Dennis.

10. Describe Ruth's father's work.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look at the structure of the book.

1) Discuss elements of the narrative structure: exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's ideas?

2) Examine the way McBride uses other people in the story to express his ideas.

Essay Topic 2

What major events had a profound affect on McBride's life and how did they change him?

Essay Topic 3

Examine what the following generations experienced during their time in America:

1) Ruth's grandparents

2) Ruth's parents

3) Ruth and her siblings

4) James and his siblings

(see the answer keys)

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