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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 was James' mother raised?

2. Who does Ruth steal money from?

3. Who does James interview in his book?

4. Who is the first person to find out about Ruth's pregnancy?

5. Why does Ruth think her father married her mother?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe the household James was brought up in.

3. Describe Ruth's father's work.

4. Describe Ruth's school years.

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

6. Why did James think his mother was strange?

7. How do things begin to go downhill for James when Hunter Jordan dies?

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

9. Describe Ruth's parents.

10. How did Ruth and her family live in America when they first arrived?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Why do the students think it is important for James to find out about his mother's past? How has his mother hiding her past affected him?

(see the answer keys)

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