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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 flavor ice-cream is described as Gunnar's favorite in "The Candy Lady"?

2. How old is Dell described as in "The Beginning"?

3. What line is repeated several times in the poem "The Almost Friends"?

4. How old was Jacqueline Woodson when her parents separated?

5. Where was Jacqueline's ancestor Thomas Woodson from?

Short Essay Questions

1. What conflict is described in the poem "A Girl Named Jack"?

2. How is the Woodsons' lineage described in "The Woodsons of Ohio"?

3. How are the poet's parents described in "Second Daughter’s Second Day on Earth"?

4. How is "Daywork" described in the poem with the same name? Who took on daywork to support Jackie and her siblings when they were growing up?

5. What is the symbolic image that concludes the poem "Second Daughter’s Second Day on Earth"? What is symbolized in this imagery?

6. How is life in Greenville described in the poem "Ohio Behind Us"?

7. How is Odell described in the poem "Uncle Odell"? Who was named for Odell?

8. How does the author describe her grandmother's rules in "The Right Way to Speak"?

9. What was Gunnar Irby's profession? What struggles did he face in his job?

10. Into what genres does Brown Girl Dreaming fall? How are these genres defined?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of pride, prejudice, and the American Dream in Brown Girl Dreaming. How are these themes embodied by Georgiana, Gunnar, Mary Anne, and Jackie? What symbolism and imagery in the narrative relates to these themes?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the millenarian restorationist Christian denomination known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses. When were the Jehovah’s Witnesses originated? What are their belief systems? How do they differ from other Christian denominations? What influences did Jackie's faith have on her as a child?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss segregation in the South in 1963 and the setting of Greenville, South Carolina, at this time. How big was Greenville? How has the city changed in the past 50 years? When was Greenville desegregated?

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