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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. How is Howard killed?

2. Why does Faye take Jules home when she meets him?

3. Who is Maureen?

4. Why is Mrs. Wendall placed in a nursing home?

5. How does Maureen feel about her parents?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Loretta's situation at the beginning of the novel?

2. What is Loretta's reputation as a teenager?

3. What is the significance of the letters that Maureen writes?

4. What happens to Mrs. Wendall after Howard's death?

5. As a young adult, how does Maureen feel about her family?

6. Why does Loretta's family move away from Detroit?

7. How does Jules get a rifle during the riot?

8. What does Jules do at the end of Chapter 7 of the third book?

9. What do Jules and Nadine end up doing in Chapter 5 of the second book?

10. As a young adult, what is Maureen's escape from her everyday life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author barely mentions Loretta's two youngest children, Betty and Ronnie. Why do you think they are such minor characters? Why does the author focus only on Loretta's two oldest children? Would you, as a reader, have liked to know more about the two younger children? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

The author states that Maureen's character is based upon one of the author's former university students. Do you think that everything that occurs in the novel, therefore, is true? Why or why not? If not, which parts do you think are fictionalized or exaggerated? Why? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Jules and Maureen are both very optimistic as children, but are also capable of detaching themselves from frightening or emotionally damaging situations, such as their father's death. Is this an odd combination of character traits? Why or why not? What is the ultimate result of their hopefulness? Do you think that Betty is justified in ridiculing her siblings for their optimistic attitudes? Why or why not? In what ways are they similar to Loretta as a child? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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