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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Beau's full name in Poem Nineteen?

2. Who takes the "stuff" in Poem Seventeen?

3. What does the narrator in Poem Fifteen think black woman deal with too much?

4. Who narrates the story in Poem Ten?

5. What themes are the poems in Sequence Four built around?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although the majority of the characters in the playare African American, the narrator does choose to include a character of African and Latin American roots in poem three. Why do you think the author included this character? How does she change the dynamics of the play? What is significant about this character? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Shange choose not to name the characters? What is the significance of not naming the characters? How would naming the characters change the dynamics of the play? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

The narrator describes a number of relationships in this play. How does she portray these relationships? Why does she portray them this way? What is significant about these relationships? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

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