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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 happened to black men who dated white women?

2. Where does James go in this chapter?

3. Who does Ruth steal money from?

4. What did James' father die of?

5. What is Jacqueline's nickname?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Ruth's friend, Frances, support her?

4. What happens to James when his mother forgets to pick him up from kindergarten?

5. What incident confirms to James that the color of his mother's skin puts her in danger?

6. What are the problems in dating Peter?

7. Why did James think his mother was strange?

8. Describe what happens when Ruth asks James to take the milk back to the shop.

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

10. Describe James' brother, Dennis.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify the main themes of the story. Why do you think these themes are so important to the story? How does McBride use character and setting to express his themes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss with the students first person point of view. Why do the students think first person point of view is not necessarily reliable? What moments in the book do the students think are not so reliable and why? With the students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the first person.

Essay Topic 3

What events in James' early life influenced him to become a musician? How different do the students think James' life would have been if she had not grown up in poverty?

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