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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. Why did Ernestine’s school call her father?

2. Why does Ermina howl in pain in Act One, Scene 3?

3. What does Lily tease Ernestine about in Act One, Scene 2?

4. Why does Lily ask Godfrey to get her bags?

5. What is Lily’s political affiliation?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Godfrey say he left Florida?

2. What is Lily “Sister” Ann Green’s appearance like?

3. How does Ernestine say the other children in school treat her and her sister Ermina and why?

4. Why is Godfrey horrified by Lily in Act one, Scene 4?

5. What is Lily’s behavior like at the beginning of Act One, Scene 4?

6. Why is Godfrey experiencing problems at work?

7. How does Lily describe white women’s physical appearance?

8. How does Ernestine imagine her apology to the school?

9. How does the death of their mother affect the family before the move to New York?

10. Why does Lily say she is unemployed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When their mother dies, sisters Ernestine and Ermina are left without a primary role model at a critical stage in their development. In part, their aunt Lily justifies her presence in their household as her responsibility to fill the void left by Sandra. Write an essay examining the influence Lily has on her nieces.

Essay Topic 2

Many plays use a third-person omniscient character or chorus as narrator. The character of Ernestine is the only character in the play who breaks the third wall and directly addresses the audience with repeated asides. Write an essay examining the role of Ernestine as the play’s narrator.

Essay Topic 3

After the death of their mother, Ernestine and Ermina as left without a key authority figure at a critical time in their development, and both Lily and Gerte strive to step into the void left by Sandra, while the father struggles to manage as a single parent of two girls at a crucial stage. Write an essay examining the role that parenting plays in the play.

(see the answer keys)

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