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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 boy did Diane start to date?

2. Who was Mo'Shay?

3. What were Barbara's most precious puzzle pieces?

4. What did Brenda's mother keep all over the house?

5. What kind of school did Brenda attend as a young girl?

Short Essay Questions

1. What memory from her past did Mo'Shay have that made her apprehensive about having sex with Reese?

2. Who was Shirley Shambly in Michelle Jessamy's story and why did Shirley's daughter, Mo'Shay resent her mother?

3. How did Robin Cullen begin her story, "Christmas in Prison" with a religious focus regarding the pope?

4. What elements of her Rastararian faith did Bonnie try to adhere to at the time that she arrived at prison?

5. How did Diane Bartholomew describe her very difficult childhood?

6. Who were Barbara Parsons Lane's first visitors while in prison, and what did she consider to be the worst part of her incarceration?

7. How difficult was it for Bonnie to stay true to her religious practices while in prison?

8. To what did Barbara compare puzzle pieces in her life?

9. What did Mo'Shay's mother decide about raising Mo'Shay's baby and how does Mo'Shay get the love she has needed for so long from her mother?

10. When did Brenda Medina realize what her mother's terrible secret was?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several of the women's stories are classic stories of loss and renewal. What does that classification entail? Why do some of the stories fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

The theme of struggling with personal identity is an important one in this book. Describe how it extends through setting, characters and issues and provide examples for each.

Essay Topic 3

Choose three characters from different stories, and then project into the future ten years and write a brief synopsis for their lives. Be sure to include geography, marital status, work, socialization, incarceration, etc.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,011 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample