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

2. Who teaches Millie how to drive?

3. What type of farm do Mary Agnes and Grady run?

4. Why don’t the Olinka people educate their daughters?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How did Nettie come to live in Africa?

3. Why was Shug so mean to Celie when she first moved in?

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

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

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

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

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

9. Where are Celie’s parents buried, and what marks their headstones?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the coming-of-age ritual Tashi partakes in at her village. In what ways is Tashi’s coming-of-age story similar to Celie’s? What symbolism can be found in Tashi’s scars, and how does the novel suggest that scars, both physical and emotional, are healed? 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 965 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample