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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did the girls say to boys who called August, Sylvia, Gigi, and Angela's names in Chapter 7?
(a) "Stop trying to get into our pants. We know what you want."
(b) "We are better than you and your stupid friends."
(c) "Don't look at us. We hate you."
(d) "Don't even say my name. Don't even put it in your mouth."

2. While listening to a church sermon in Chapter 2, what question did August pose to God?
(a) "Why did God only love the white people?" (23).
(b) "How could God take away my mother?" (22).
(c) "What does God do with his daughters?" (23).
(d) "Do you even exist? If so, why are you so unfair?" (21).

3. What did August and her brother feed the neighboring children in her apartment building at the end of Chapter 6?
(a) Potato chips, apples, and nuts.
(b) Potatoes, colorful salads, and almonds.
(c) Ham sandwiches and popcorn.
(d) Fried pork chops and fruit.

4. How much older is August than her brother?
(a) 2 years.
(b) 4 years.
(c) 6 years.
(d) 1 year.

5. In what condition did August, Sylvia, Angela, and Gigi find the man who raped Gigi in Chapter 4?
(a) The man had "a needle clinched and dripping from his left hand" (59).
(b) The man "...was shooting up heroin and had a look the girls had never seen before" (54).
(c) The man was "asleep, alone, and snoring" (59).
(d) The man hid underneath the stairs "waited for the girls and jumped out like he wanted to rape all the girls" (58).

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator claim is the most tragic thing about life (1)?

2. How long has it been since August's childhood when she describes her father's funeral?

3. What did August and her brother do at night as explained at the end of Chapter 7?

4. According to the narrator in Chapter 5, what did Gigi's mom do for a living?

5. Why could Gigi not tell her mother about the rape?

Short Essay Questions

1. What led to August's father granting August and her brother more freedom after they had moved to Brooklyn?

2. What led to August's father taking his children to Brooklyn?

3. What did Angela want to be when she grew up? Why?

4. What does August say about the music of her childhood in Chapter 1?

5. How does August describe her feelings about Sylvia when they were young?

6. From what perspective and tense is the story related? How is the novel framed?

7. What tragic event befell Gigi when she was 12?

8. What is the significance of the quote that opens the novel?

9. What did Gigi want to be when she grew up? Why?

10. Who was Clyde and why is he significant in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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