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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 is Roy's mother's name?

2. Who took Celestial to have an abortion?

3. Where is Celestial's father from?

4. How many times does Celestial's father say he proposed to his wife before she said yes?

5. What does Uncle Banks describe as being what is considered "the worst of the South" in Part One: "Bridge Music" (86)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does an epistolary novel refer to? What are the benefits of epistolary style?

2. How would you describe the relationship between Roy's parents and Celestial?

3. How does Andre justify his relationship with Celestial in his first monologue in Part Two: "Prepare a Table for Me"?

4. Where is Celestial from? How is this setting described?

5. How is Olive's illness and death described?

6. Why does Roy write to "Mr. D" in Part One: "Bridge Music"?

7. What does Roy write to inform Celestial five years after he has been incarcerated?

8. How do Andre and Celestial feel about Roy's impending release when they learn of it?

9. Why do you think the author gives Andre his own first-person narrative?

10. When and where did Andre introduce Roy to Celestial? What became of it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the epistolary style employed in An American Marriage. Why does the author switch from direct-address narrative to letters? What information does the reader learn from these letters? How do the use of letters help illustrate the characters' circumstances?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the legal aspects of An American Marriage. Under what circumstances is Roy found guilty? What evidence is presented at Roy's trial? How does Roy go about winning his appeal?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Celestial in An American Marriage. What does Celestial do for a living? Where was she educated? For how long is she married to Roy before Roy's arrest? How does Celestial's character evolve in the novel?

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