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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 does the girl in “Peach Cobbler” imagine putting in the cobbler before giving it to the pastor?

2. What holiday are Eula and her friend celebrating in the short story "Eula"?

3. What does the narrator ask Not-Daniel if he thought about after they had made love in her car?

4. What does Tasheta tell her sister to tell Jackie regarding their father at the beginning of the letter in "Dear Sister"?

5. What does Olivia notice on the hall table while eating with Trevor and his mother after his aunt died in “Peach Cobbler”?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the woman see when she looks into Not-Daniel's eyes after he first gets into her car toward the end of “Not-Daniel”?

2. What do the woman and man in “Not-Daniel” have in common?

3. What does the narrator of “Dear Sister” feel is the only good thing her father ever did for her and her sisters?

4. What event compelled the writer to write to her sister Jackie in “Dear Sister”?

5. What impression did Olivia get of Marilyn the first time she went over to tutor Trevor in “Peach Cobbler”?

6. What does Rhonda do for Leelee at the end of “Snowfall“ after they return home from work on the snowy day?

7. What is Leelee‘s relationship like with her mother in “Snowfall”?

8. What questions does Olivia’s mother ask her when she returns from her first tutoring session at the Neely’s house in “Peach Cobbler”?

9. Briefly describe each of the letter writer’s sisters Kimba, Renee, and Tasheta.

10. What do Rhonda and Leelee typically do on snowy days?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In “Not-Daniel” and in “Instructions for Married Christian Husbands,” the narrators remain unnamed throughout the stories. Write an essay exploring the reason why Philyaw may have chosen to leave out the name of this these characters.

Essay Topic 2

Choose one story from The Secret Lives of Church Ladies to analyze. Analyze the symbols and themes from the story and their effectiveness in the story. Use textual evidence to support your analysis.

Essay Topic 3

Write an analysis of Tony’s character in “When Eddie Levert Comes.” Who is he? What relationship does he have with Daughter? Why does he have the relationship he has with Daughter? What purpose does the relationship serve for him and for her? How are there needs different and how are they the same?

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