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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. Where does Jenny encounter Clara and Robert?

2. What put Sherman in the hospital?

3. Why does the protagonist's mother need help with the school forms in "The First Day"?

4. What is Cassandra smoking at the opening of the story?

5. A woman in "The First Day" has fashioned hair curlers out of which of the following?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the final interaction between Caesar and Carol.

2. Describe the character of Cassandra G. Lewis in "The Night Rhonda Ferguson Was Killed".

3. Describe the errand Gladys' mother pays Cassandra to run.

4. How does Cassandra respond to the fight she has with her brother-in-law?

5. Discuss Caesar's feelings for Carol.

6. In "The First Day", how well prepared is the protagonist's mother to enroll her child in school?

7. What does Betsy Ann do to lose her father's trust? Why does he become so angry?

8. How does Cassandra response to Roger's attempt to rape Melanie?

9. Why is the protagonist of "The First Day" turned away from Seaton Elementary?

10. How does Robert respond to his daughter's desire to raise pigeons of her own?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Music is often an integral part of much African-American literature. Analyze the way in which music appears in this collection. Which stories most prominently feature music or musical elements? How does this music structure or shape the story? What does the music contribute to the characters or to the story itself?

Essay Topic 2

Relationships between women are central to many of the stories in this collection. Select three stories from the collection and discuss the way in which women form community amongst themselves. How does Jones portray the bonds between women in these stories? Are they mutually supportive? Antagonistic? Do these relationships fill any particular needs for the women who form them?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the collection, Jones presents a fairly nuanced portrayal of gender roles in the African-American community of Washington, D.C. Select at least 3 short stories from the collection and discuss the ways in which the characters in these stories respond to the roles imposed on them based on their gender. Do these characters conform or rebel? What do we learn about them based on their compliance or defiance? What might Jones' message regarding gender roles be?

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