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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. What flowers are on the wallpaper in the parlor in Chapter 1?

2. In Chapter 12, where does Joan often eat her dinner so she does not have to see Derek?

3. What was the name of the doctor who examined Joan after Derek raped her?

4. Where does Jax tell Miss Hazel he and Miriam will live if he makes captain?

5. In Chapter 9, what month is it?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did August quit college and start styling hair?

2. What is August's shop like?

3. Who is Derek, and what does Joan remember about him?

4. How does Joan compare herself and Mya to her mother in Chapter 10?

5. How do Miriam and Jax meet?

6. In Chapter 10, what does Miss Dawn tell Joan to do, and what is the result?

7. What car does August drive in Chapter 9, and why is it special?

8. What does Joan's father say to her mother before he walks out?

9. What did Miriam do before she left North Carolina in Chapter 2?

10. What does Miriam think it will be like to go back to school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

An allusion is a figure of speech that does not directly refer to a person, place, or thing. What are some allusions in Memphis: A Novel? Why might it be difficult to decipher an allusion just by the context of a passage in a book? How do the allusions Stringfellow uses help readers’ understanding of characters or concepts?

Essay Topic 2

Della is a skilled seamstress. Why would she be considered an artist?

Essay Topic 3

Myron North built the Memphis house. What does the Memphis house mean to Miram and Joan? Why do they feel differently about the house?

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