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. Who is the only person that knows where Idgie is hiding when she leaves town?

2. In Dot's article about Buddy Jr.'s accident, which of the following injuries is NOT mentioned in her run-down about the dangers of trains?

3. In what decade does Idgie Threadgoode open the Whistle Stop Cafe?

4. Which of the following items does Ninny claim was stolen from one of her friends' bedrooms at the nursing home?

5. Which of the following diseases did Evelyn's mother die from?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is life like for Evelyn at the Forever Slim Lodge?

2. Why does Stump turn down Peggy's invitation to attend the Sadie Hawkins Day Dance?

3. Why does Smokey Lonesome return to Whistle Stop after the homeless shelter closes?

4. At the end of the novel, where is Idgie living?

5. How does Almondine get her name?

6. How does Stump learn the true identity of Railroad Bill?

7. What is "The Complete Woman"?

8. How is the lead detective of Frank's case related to Frank?

9. How does Big George react when he sees that Artis stabbed his twin brother, Jasper?

10. Why does Ruth move out of Idgie's house in 1946?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, Evelyn struggles with many levels of inequality. In the end, she decides that she wishes she was a black man. First, explain why Evelyn wishes she was a man, not a woman, and give at least one example from the novel of a time when men had things better than Evelyn. Then, explain why Evelyn wishes she was black, not white, and give at least one example from the novel of a time when blacks had things better off than Evelyn.

Essay Topic 2

While Evelyn is visiting Ninny in the nursing home, she becomes acutely aware of the way everyone in the world is aging. First, describe Ninny's aging process and compare and contrast it to Vesta's aging process. Which of these women's process had the strongest effect on Evelyn? How can you tell? In what ways does Evelyn change her lifestyle in direct reaction to the aging she's seen in the nursing home?

Essay Topic 3

Interspersed throughout the old newspaper are pages copied from Dot Weems' newspaper, "The Weems Weekly." Choose at least two stories highlighted in these newspaper pages and explain what significance these stories have to the novel. Then, explain how "The Weems Weekly" helps characterize Whistle Stop and the characters in the novel.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,028 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample