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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. Who punches Danae in the face in Chapter 27?

2. Who helps Elaine get a room at the YMCA for ten nights in Chapter 25?

3. When Chapter 1 begins, how old is Elaine Bartlett?

4. When Elaine moves back to Apartment 13B in Chapter 29, who does she share a bedroom with?

5. What subway line does Elaine take to get to the Greenpoint YMCA?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Elaine choose to wear in Chapter 1.

2. Why does the chart at the police department have Elaine two inches taller than she really is?

3. What is it like for Apache on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota?

4. Explain the Rockefeller drug laws.

5. Describe Fiske Cottage and how Elaine feels about it.

6. What are Elaine's options for time served in Part 1?

7. By 1998, what changes had the Rockefeller drug laws had on the New York prison system?

8. What is the result of Judge Clyne's eleven years on the bench?

9. Describe Jamel's appearance when Elaine visits him at Riker's Island.

10. Describe Elaine's cell at Bedford Hills Prison from Chapter Eight.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "Life on the Outside," it appears that the only thing that Elaine and Lora have in common is that they're both African-American women. They grow up with different socio-economic status. One has formal education as a young adult; the other doesn't. One is a mother; the other isn't. One suffers from HIV; the other doesn't. One serves time in prison; the other doesn't. They even have different opinions about men. Yet somehow these two women become friends. Why do you think this happens? What draws these two women to each other?

Essay Topic 2

How does the author deal with the setting of "Life on the Outside?" Does it have an effect on the tone of the book? Do you have a good sense of the prisons, the housing projects, and the locations throughout New York?

Essay Topic 3

In "Life on the Outside," the author presents a situation in which it is easier to remain in prison than to succeed out of prison. Stories of people returning to Bedford Hills Prison are told. Jamel's repeated history in prison is another example. Do you agree with the book's message that it is easier in prison than out for the offender? Why or why not? Support your answer with examples.

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