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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. Who shows up at Jael’s house after she refuses to take this person’s calls?

2. What does Granny say about Jael’s behavior when she used to hit her when she was a child?

3. Which of Jael’s relatives does her Granny say she is most like?

4. Which of Mother’s children had the lightest complexion in “When Eddie Levert Comes”?

5. In “Feelings,” what does the narrator of of “Instructions for Married Christian Husbands” say the man should never do for her?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one of the reasons Daughter suspects her mother may feel a bond with Eddie Levert?

2. How does Kachelle react when Jael asked her if she had ever thought about doing “things with girls” (124)?

3. What conversation does Jael‘s grandmother overhear about Jael at the corner store?

4. What happens the first time Jael goes to Jamie‘s house alone?

5. What is the narrator's instructions in “Instructions for Married Christian Husbands” under the “Social media and technology” section?

6. Describe Daughter’s date with Tony in “When Eddie Levert Comes.”

7. Who does Jael describe in her first journal entry and what does she think of that person?

8. What does Jael say at the end of the story in reference to her grandmother’s saying that “every shut eye ain’t sleep“ (144)?

9. What does Eric tell Lyra he is going to need her to do if they are going to try to make it work when he calls her after he receives the sketch she sent him as an apology in “How to Make Love to a Physicist”?

10. In “How to Make Love to a Physicist,” why does Lyra decide against inviting Eric up to her room when it is 2 a.m. and they have spent the entire day talking?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the character of Jael in “Jael” from The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. What is her history? How would you describe her as a person? How does her Granny view her? Why does she do the things she does in the story?

Essay Topic 2

The theme of colorism, prejudice against those with darker skin tones is prevalent in several of the short stories in The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. Write an essay exploring the theme of colorism in at least two of the short stories from The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Essay Topic 3

Many of the characters are viewed as sinful in the eyes of the church for their sexual interests or behaviors. Write an essay analyzing the theme of oppression and the church in two of the stories from The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

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