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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 does the term “bright” mean to Harpo?

2. Why is Celie jealous of Mr. and Shug at Harpo’s bar?

3. How does Mr.’s father feel about Shug living in the house?

4. How does Celie feel when Shug suggests moving out?

5. What does Shug teach Celie about sex?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What happens when Squeak tries to convince the warden to let Sofia out of jail early?

4. What changes about Harpo’s life after Sofia leaves him?

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

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

7. How does Harpo react to the news that Sofia’s father doesn’t think he’s good enough for her?

8. Why is Mr. so emotional with Shug in his house?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare / contrast Celie’s family life at the beginning of the novel and the end of the novel. What causes the major changes that affect Celie’s life? Do you think the ending whitewashes the effects of the abuse and trauma Celie suffered? Why or why not? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

How is God represented in the novel? Why is it significant that Celie writes letters to him, and then abruptly stops? How are Celie and Shug’s views of God different? How do their views ultimately relate back to the novel’s title? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the revelation that Pa is not Celie’s true father. How does this realization change her life, and how does she feel about herself when the truth is revealed. How did Celie’s birth parents die, and how might her life have been different had she grown up with them rather than with Pa? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

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