View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What has long been something of an "outsider" art form that exists somewhere outside the mainstream, having been conceived in the 1920s by African-Americans?

2. Who does Judianne say every boy in school has a crush on in "Judianne Alexander"?

3. In "El Noche," the author writes of the earth being hollow as a what?

4. Diondra says that her dad is not enthused about her artwork and wishes she'd do what instead, in "Diondra Jordan"?

5. What does Janelle daydream as her last name in "Janelle Battle"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Diondra and Devon represent archetypically in the narrative? What drives their characters?

2. How does Lupe describe her home life in "Lupe"? What is the poem "Brown Hands" about?

3. What similarities do Devon and Tanisha share?

4. What is described in the poem "D-Train"?

5. How does Judianne describe herself in "Judianne Alexander"?

6. How does Tanisha describe herself in "Tanisha Scott"?

7. How is Sterling different from the other characters in the narrative?

8. How does Tyrone describe his life in "Tyrone Bittings"?

9. What interaction do Janelle and Judianne have in the bathroom in "Janelle"?

10. How does Diondra feel when her artwork is exposed in "Diondra"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the characters of Wesley and Tyrone and discuss the narrative style of the novel. How does the author distinguish between the different voices in the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Identify and analyze alliteration and assonance in "Message to a Friend." How do these techniques create an aesthetic sound to the work?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the symbolism and imagery in the poem "High Dive." What emotional sense does the poem exhibit?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 939 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample