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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 subjects did Audre learn well in elementary school that help her in her next school?

2. What word does Audre learn the meaning of at the beginning of Chapter 8?

3. Whom does Audre complain to about her mother at her high school?

4. What kind of prayers does Audre say for those who died in the tragedy in Chapter 7?

5. How does Audre not that people behave after the tragedy in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Audre jealous of her older sisters while growing up?

2. What does Audre do after being molested by a comic book storeowner?

3. How is Audre's consciousness of what race means first described in the book?

4. What is the nature of the results of the aptitude test Audre takes in high school?

5. How does Audre react to Gennie's death in the book?

6. How does Audre describe her introduction to cooking in the book?

7. How does Audre initially react to the tragedy of Pearl Harbor?

8. How is Gennie's death described in the book?

9. How is the meaning of Zami first described in the book?

10. How is the beginning of Audre's desire for female companionship described in the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The theme of lesbianism is an important one in the book and helps define the protagonist more clearly.

1) What impact does Audre's poetry writing have on her ability to be open about her lesbianism for the first time, especially considering her relations with The Branded at the time?

2) What is telling of the evolution of Audre's lesbianism based on her relationships with Gennie and Muriel?

3) What role does Audre play in the New York lesbian scene and what does this community mean to her?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Audre's time spent with "The Branded" versus the "Sistah Outsiders". Which group allowed Audre to grow more as a person? What impact did Audre's being a part of these groups have on her actions in the book?

Essay Topic 3

The author makes an interesting choice in the book by highlighting many true historical events throughout the text and offers her own opinions and reactions to them.

1) Why does the author often combine her own personal experiences alongside historical events such as Pearl Harbor?

2) What can we learn about the importance that political freedom has for the author based on her portrayal of McCarthyism in the book?

3) What can we learn about Audre's political and social beliefs based on her support of the Rosenbergs while they are on trial, especially given the ways she is able to identify with them?

(see the answer keys)

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