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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 is Mr. upset with the townsfolk after Shug moves in with him?

2. What is the name of Harpo’s friend who helps him out at the new bar?

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

4. Why does Harpo fear his new business will fail?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Celie come to own her very first dress, and what does it look like?

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. How does Sofia end up in jail?

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

10. What brings on Celie’s terrible beating from Pa after church?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare / contrast the role of white women and black women in the novel. How are their lives the same? How are they different? Why is it significant that Sofia, a strong black woman, would work in Millie, a weak white woman’s house? What do each of the women learn from this experience? 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

What is sewing a symbol for in the novel? Why is it significant that Celie and Sofia sew a quilt together after Shug moves in? What does the diversity of a patchwork quilt suggest about the relationships in the novel, particularly the female relationships? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,023 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample