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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. Sarah is how much older than Handful in the novel?

2. Who is described in Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812 as a free black man that owns three slaves?

3. Who was the founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society?

4. Who admonishes Sarah Grimke for teaching the slave children the ABC song during Sunday school in Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805?

5. What is the principle profession of Sarah Grimke's father?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the ancestry of the Grimke family described in Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805? What class are the Grimkes?

2. What story does Handful recall in the opening of Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805? Who told Handful this story?

3. How has the friendship between Sarah and Handful evolved in the beginning of Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812?

4. What does Sarah discover Handful doing when her family returns from their upcountry estate in Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812? How does she respond?

5. What is Sarah's mother's response when Sarah pleads with her regarding Handful after her eleventh birthday party?

6. How is the custom of slaves attending white churches described in Part 1, November 1803 – February 1805? Where did the slaves sit in church?

7. How are Handful's feelings about Sarah described when Handful is seventeen in Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812?

8. What does Mauma intend to do with the money she earns as a hired-out slave in Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812? What does she tell Handful of her plans?

9. How does Sarah go about attempting to quell her feelings for Burke Williams in Part 2, February 1811 – December 1812? Is she successful?

10. What does Sarah's eleventh birthday signify? How many siblings does Sarah have? What are their names?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the narrative style used in The Invention of Wings. Is the story related from a first, second, or third person perspective? Why do you think the author chooses to use a split perspective in telling the story? How does Handful’s narration differ from Sarah’s? How would the novel differ if the author chose to tell the story from a different perspective?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the setting of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1803. Where is Charleston located in the state of South Carolina? What was the economy like in this region at this time? What was the political atmosphere in Charlotte in 1803? Where in Charleston do the Grimkes live?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the motif of religion in The Invention of Wings. What church does the Grimke family attend regularly? What are Sarah Grimke’s religious beliefs? Why does Nina Grimke refuse to be confirmed into her family’s church? How does the A.M.E. Church in the novel differ from the white churches? How do the Quakers stand apart from the other churches in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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