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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 Early do for a living?

2. What is Barry's job?

3. How long have the twins been gone at the beginning of the novel?

4. What lie did Stella tell Blake about her family when they met?

5. What is Stella's married name?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Jude go to college?

2. Who is Lou?

3. When did the twins vanish from Mallard?

4. Why does Jude go shopping with Barry?

5. Where does Desiree get a job when she returns to Mallard?

6. Where does Jude meet Reese?

7. What is the twins' first jobs away from home?

8. Who is Barry?

9. Who spoke up during an emergency meeting in the Palace Estates?

10. Who are Reginald and Loretta Walker?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you examine how The Vanishing Half handles the concept of returning home. Which characters in the novel return home, and why? In what ways has their understanding of or relationship to home changed or stayed the same since returning? Use evidence from the text for support.

Essay Topic 2

Since the time she leaves her sister in New Orleans, Stella spends the rest of her life living under the pretense that she is white. She marries a white man, lives in wealthy white neighborhoods, and is vocal about her contempt for Black people. In this essay, you will examine what it means to perform whiteness; in Stella's eyes, what does being white entail, and in what ways does she embody or project whiteness? Use evidence from the text for support.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you explore the literary techniques the author utilizes in the book. What specific techniques does she use, and in what ways do they impact the story? Use evidence from the text for support.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 515 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample