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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 does working with her father make Audre feel?

2. How old is Audre when she meets her first playmate?

3. How does Audre feel after Gennie dies?

4. How does Audre's mother react when she finds she is complaining about her at her high school?

5. What does the man who rapes Audre on a rooftop take from her?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does a boy named Alvin help Audre succeed in her first grade class?

2. How is Audre's work ethic at St. Catherine's described in regards to her schoolwork?

3. How does Audre describe her view of her mother when she was a young child in Harlem?

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

5. How does Audre describe being raped on a rooftop when she was 10-years-old?

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

7. How are "The Branded" first described in the book?

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

9. What does Audre do when she plays with a little girl named Toni in the book?

10. What role does Audre's love for making up stories have in her becoming a writer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the concept of change that is presented in the book through the portrayal of various historical, political, and social situations. How does the author document the literal changes she found in these areas in the United States alongside the figurative changes in her own life?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the concept of work presented in the book. What opportunities did work present to Audre that she was not finding in school and what life lessons was she able to learn from her work experiences?

(see the answer keys)

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