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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 is Big Ma from?

2. What does a local store deliver to the People's Center when Delphine and her sisters arrive in "Coloring and La-La"?

3. What does Cecile give to Delphine to pass off to any Black Panther they see in "Inseparable"?

4. What does Delphine note that Cecile wears in her hair in "Green Stucco House"?

5. Who gives a demonstration of the earth spinning in "Even the Earth is a Revolutionary"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cecile behave toward her daughters upon their arrival in "Green Stucco House"?

2. How does Delphine feel about the people and customs at the People's Center in "Even the Earth is a Revolutionary"?

3. How is the theme of counterculture explored in the first chapters of the novel?

4. How are feminist ideals demonstrated through Cecile's character in the novel?

5. What has Vonetta done to Fern's doll in "Coloring and La-La"? What are the repercussions of this action?

6. Why does Big Ma ask a black woman at the airport to look after her granddaughters?

7. What is reflected through Big Ma's perceptions of the people at the airport?

8. What are Delphine's initial perceptions of the Black Panthers in the novel?

9. What does Cecile give to Delphine to take to the People's Center in "Inseparable"?

10. How would you describe the relationship between the Gaither sisters, Pa, and Big Ma?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the plot structure of One Crazy Summer. Where in the narrative do the exposition, rising action, and climax occur? What is revealed in the falling action and denouement of the story? Do you feel the plot is structured traditionally? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the family history of Delphine and her sisters. By whom have they been raised? When did their mother abandon the family? What kind of relationship have the sisters had with their mother up until their arrival in Oakland?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the character of Big Ma in the narrative. How does Big Ma feel about Cecile? Why? What causes Big Ma to worry about her granddaughters' visit to Oakland?

(see the answer keys)

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