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. Why did Nettie decide to move out of Mr.’s house?

2. What is the “big surprise” Shug reveals at Christmas?

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

4. Why does Corinne think that Nettie and Samuel have been having an affair?

5. Who does Nettie marry?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the reverend and his wife treat Nettie when they first met her?

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

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

4. How does Shug convince Celie not to kill Mr.?

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

6. Who did Pa marry after Celie and Nettie moved out, and what does this suggest about his personality?

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

8. How does Celie react when she learns that Mr. has been hiding Nettie’s letters?

9. How does Shug picture God?

10. How does Celie react to the news that Pa has died?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Celie’s relationship with Shug. How does it grow and change over the course of the novel? Would you consider them more like sisters or lovers? Why? What is the difference between these two types of relationships? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

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.

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 918 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample