View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is NOT a place Nettie stops on her way to Olinka?

2. How old is Pa’s new wife?

3. Why was Shug so harsh with Celie when they first met?

4. What is the giveaway on the envelopes that they have come from Nettie, not anyone else?

5. Why does Shug suddenly decide to take Mary Agnes to Memphis with her as well?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who are Nettie and Celie’s birth parents?

2. How does life change for Celie when she moves to Memphis?

3. How do Tashi’s parents feel about her befriending Olivia?

4. How do the Olinka people first react to their new missionaries (including Nettie)?

5. What does Celie imagine that God looks like, and how does this affect her relationship with Him?

6. What is Nettie’s first impression of the Senegalese people she meets during her travels?

7. How does Billy get hurt on the day that Celie visits Sofia at the mayor’s house?

8. How is the outside world changing Olinka?

9. Who is Mary Agnes?

10. How has Corinne’s attitude changed toward Nettie since moving to Africa?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Celie’s sexuality. How was she first introduced to sex, and how did that introduction affect her future relationships? What did Shug teach Celie about her sexuality, and how did this lesson change Celie for the rest of the novel? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the theme of fatherhood in the novel. Which character do you think is the best father in the novel? Why? Which character do you think is the worst? In what ways can you see parenting styles, specifically fatherhood, affecting characters as they mature into adulthood? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the epistolary structure of the novel. What are the benefits of constructing a novel of letters? What are the benefits of this style? What are the drawbacks? How does the structure inform the characters, particularly Celie’s, growth? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 891 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample