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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 job does Audre find in Chapter 26?

2. What pressure does Audre accredit for why her relationship with Ginger couldn't last?

3. What is the name of the woman Audre begins an affair with in Chapter 24?

4. How does Audre describe her state of mind after her first lesbian sexual experience?

5. Where does Audre find a job as an x-ray machine operator?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Audre's relationship with Bea described in the book?

2. How is the New York lesbian scene described in Chapter 29?

3. How does Audre describe Stamford, Connecticut when she first moves there?

4. How does Audre's friend Lynn cause problems between her and Muriel when she moves in with them?

5. How is the Interlude: The Last of My Childhood Nightmares described in the book?

6. What political advancements lead to Audre moving back to the U.S. from Mexico?

7. How is Audre's involvement in the Committee to Free the Rosenbergs described?

8. How does Audre describe her job at the New York Public Library?

9. How is Audre's near-rape described in Chapter 23?

10. Why does Audre express frustration regarding white feminists in Chapter 23?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the portrayal of community in the book. What importance does the author place on being a part of a community, namely one where there is a sense of belonging, based on the portrayals of The Branded and the Sistah Outsiders?

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

The concept of heritage is something brought up in several capacities throughout the book.

1) How is the Grenadian heritage, namely the Carriacou culture examined in the book and what impact does it have on the author?

2) What lessons does Audre learn about the importance of heritage from her relationship with Eudora while in Mexico?

3) How does Audre reflect upon her own heritage in the book and how does she define it?

(see the answer keys)

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