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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 type of car is Jax driving when he and Miriam meet?

2. In Chapter 6, how many stories tall is the house Joan lives in?

3. What branch of service is Jax in?

4. How long was Derek gone after he raped Joan?

5. In Chapter 10, what does an old woman who is picking greens want when Joan asks to sketch her?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do men and women dress for the annual Marine Corps Ball?

2. In Chapter 12, what is Miriam doing?

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

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

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

6. Why is Miriam in Memphis in Chapter 8, and where is Jax?

7. What does August do when she sees Jax choking Miriam in Chapter 9?

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

9. In 1995, what does August think after she receives the phone call from Miriam telling her that Jax hit her?

10. A week after Joan is raped, what does a doctor tell Miriam and Jax?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

The North family experiences racism because they are Black. How does racism affect their lives?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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