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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the beginning of the book, why does Joe say he shoots Dorcas?
(a) He is trying to shoot someone else.
(b) He wants to capture her forever.
(c) He wants to keep the feeling of love going.
(d) She tries to rob him.

2. What does Violet do after she runs from the funeral home?
(a) Takes a train back to Virginia.
(b) Tries to commit suicide.
(c) Attacks Joe while he is sleeping.
(d) Releases all the birds from their cages.

3. What does Violet try to do to Dorcas's face?
(a) Make it look older.
(b) Make it look younger.
(c) Apply more makeup.
(d) Disfigure it with a knife.

4. What is special about Neola Miller?
(a) She is a genius.
(b) She is deaf.
(c) Her hair is bright yellow.
(d) Her left arm is paralyzed over her heart.

5. Where does Violet's father travel to look for work?
(a) Mexico.
(b) Georgia.
(c) The Midwest.
(d) The North.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dorcas put on Joe's hands?

2. How does Violet meet Joe?

3. Who adopts Joe at birth?

4. Who does Joe pray sends him a sign as he sits in the bushes?

5. Why is Violet committed to gaining weight?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter Four, how does the narrator describe the way Violet feels after she attacks Dorcas's body?

2. How does the narrator describe the scene in which Violet attacks Dorcas's body?

3. Describe the relationship between Alice Manfred and Dorcas.

4. In Chapter Five, how does the author describe Harlem in the springtime?

5. Describe how Dorcas's mother dies.

6. In what ways does Alice try to protect Dorcas?

7. What is the significance of Dorcas's clothespin dolls in Chapter Three?

8. Describe the first time Joe officially meets Dorcas.

9. Describe Violet's "crazy episodes" as they are presented in Chapter One.

10. How does the narrator describe Harlem of the 1920s in Chapter One?

(see the answer keys)

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