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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. How does Celie hope Nettie will escape from Pa’s house?

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

3. Who does Celie suggest Harpo hire to help at the new bar?

4. Who does Celie think about while having sex with her husband on her wedding night?

5. Why doesn’t Mr. want to marry Celie?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. How does Sofia end up in jail?

6. How do Carrie and Kate react when they meet Celie for the first time?

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

8. Who is Olivia and where does Celie meet her?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Nettie’s life change when she moves in with Samuel and Corinne? What suspicions do the reverend and his wife have about their new charge? How are these suspicions ultimately resolved, and how does that change Nettie’s life once again? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

What is the main difference between life in Olinka and life in America? How do the Olinka people react to the new missionaries when they arrive? How does this dynamic inform the race relations of America, where Shug and Celie are living? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Growing up, both Shug and Celie were told that they would amount to nothing: Celie was told she was ugly and Shug was told she was evil. How do you see these messages affecting the two women as they matured into adulthood? How did these messages ultimately bring the two women together? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 952 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample