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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 Corinne die?

2. What vice deeply affects Eleanor Jane in her home?

3. Where does Celie stab Mr. when he tries to stop her from going to Memphis with Shug?

4. Who does Mary Agnes ask to look after Suzy Q while she is away?

5. Who teaches Millie how to drive?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Pa react when Celie tells him that she knows the truth about her birth parents?

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

4. How did Nettie come to live in Africa?

5. What is rootleaf and why is it important to the Olinkans?

6. What is the “surprise” that Shug brings home for the family at Christmas, and how does Mr. react?

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

8. What does Nettie do her first evening in Olinka?

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

10. Who is Germaine, and how does Celie feel about him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 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

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 907 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample