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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Harpo fear his new business will fail?
(a) Because all his employees quit.
(b) Because he doesn’t have enough customers.
(c) Because he doesn’t have a liquor license.
(d) Because his prices are too high.

2. Who does Celie think about while having sex with her husband on her wedding night?
(a) Her teacher.
(b) Shug Avery.
(c) Her mother.
(d) Pa.

3. What does Harpo blame for his strange bruises?
(a) His wife.
(b) His health.
(c) His mule.
(d) His new baby.

4. What does Shug teach Celie about sex?
(a) That it is best when you are in love.
(b) The mechanics of how it works.
(c) That it can be pleasurable.
(d) All its negative side effects (from unwanted pregnancy to STDs).

5. What is Shug’s occupation?
(a) Dancer.
(b) Writer.
(c) Singer.
(d) Artist.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who tries to keep Celie in school before Pa pulls her out?

2. Who offers to speak to the warden on Sofia’s behalf?

3. Why is Sophia arrested?

4. Which of the following characters receives most of Mr.’s praise at home?

5. How does Mr. react when he learns that Sofia is pregnant?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Sofia decide to leave Harpo, and how does he react to the news?

2. Why does Celie suddenly feel jealous of Mr. and Shug when she sees them at the juke joint?

3. How do Mr. and Celie come to be married?

4. What is unique about the novel’s style, which is made apparent within the first few pages?

5. What obsessive behavior does Harpo start, and what does this suggest about his character?

6. How does Harpo’s juke joint fare when it first opens?

7. How does Celie try to protect Nettie from Pa?

8. How does Shug Avery come to live in Celie’s house, and how does Celie feel about this?

9. How does Mr.’s family feel about having Shug in the house?

10. What happens when Harpo and Sofia see each other for the first time at the juke joint?

(see the answer keys)

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