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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. Why doesn’t Pa want Nettie to marry Mr.?

2. What does Mr.’s brother, Tobias, bring for Shug when he visits?

3. Which of the following words does Shug use to describe Celie when they first meet?

4. How old is Sofia when Harpo proposes to marry her?

5. Why does Harpo think Sofia refuses to mind him?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sofia end up in jail?

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

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

4. How does Mr. react when Nettie comes to live with him, and why does she end up leaving?

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

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

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

8. Why does Harpo start working in the fields, and how does he feel about it?

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

10. How many children does Celie give birth to, and what happens to them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Squeak’s character growth. How is her character described when she is first introduced to the reader? What major event changes the way she views herself, and how does this affect her choices later in life? Why does Squeak revert back to her birth name, Mary Agnes? In what ways is Mary Agnes (Squeak) still a victim at the end of the novel, even though she has taken back her independence? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Walker chose to name Celie’s husband Mr. _________? What message might she be sending the reader by not giving him a last name? In journalistic writing, last names are often omitted to protect certain identities. Might this tradition have influenced Walker in some way? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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