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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 fish is Hazel cleaning in Chapter 16?

2. How long has Hazel's family live in the North Memphis neighborhood called Douglass?

3. In Chapter 20, what year is it?

4. What color did Miriam and August wear to Derek's trial?

5. In Chapter 23, how old is Joan?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the visits August makes to see Derek affect her?

2. What shop is a staple in the North Memphis neighborhood where Hazel lives?

3. How does Mya react when the World Trade Center towers fell and the Pentagon was attacked?

4. In Chapter 22, how does Miriam hear about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?

5. What does Professor Mason, Joan's art teacher at Rhodes suggest her senior year?

6. What are August, Miriam, and Joan doing in Chapter 24, when the doorbell rings after two in the morning, and who do they find at the door?

7. How does Myron die?

8. When Joan is a junior in high school, what art class is she taking?

9. How does Myron propose to Hazel and how does she respond?

10. How long has Miss Dawn known August?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Miriam still attends Mass as her mother did. How is Miriam and August’s faith in God different? Why is Miriam still a believer, and August is not?

Essay Topic 2

Metaphors and similes are figures of speech that are used to make comparisons between things. Metaphors seem to imply an equal comparison, while similes seem to imply a similarity between two things. Does Stringfellow use more metaphors or similes in the novel? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers comprehend concepts? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers make the writing more interesting?

Essay Topic 3

August is Derek’s mother. What type of relationship do August and Derek have? Why has August had to rearrange her life around her son? Why does August feel that she has failed her son?

(see the answer keys)

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