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

2. How old is Pa’s new wife?

3. According to the letters, how does Nettie feel being away from Celie?

4. What does Mr. compare Celie to when she returns home from Memphis?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why did Shug’s parents kick her out of the house when she was growing up?

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

4. How is the outside world changing Olinka?

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

6. How has Grady’s life changed since moving to Memphis?

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

8. How did Nettie come to live in Africa?

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

10. Why is Sofia’s mother’s funeral unusual?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

How is God represented in the novel? Why is it significant that Celie writes letters to him, and then abruptly stops? How are Celie and Shug’s views of God different? How do their views ultimately relate back to the novel’s title? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 887 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample