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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Jones ask Min to do for him after seeing the postman?
(a) Make dessert.
(b) Sleep with him.
(c) Get a mailbox key made for him.
(d) Wash the dishes.

2. How do the neighborhood people feel when Bub is taken away by the postal investigators?
(a) They experience a sense of loss, a sense of defeat.
(b) They are indifferent to his departure.
(c) They rejoice that the hoodlum is gone.
(d) They wonder about his fate.

3. What was Boots' life like before he met Junto?
(a) He was a homeless piano player who worked for food in places he despised.
(b) He was a star athlete.
(c) He was a student at the local college.
(d) He was a member of the United States Army.

4. Which statement best describes Jones' conclusion about Lutie?
(a) That she is not worth all the trouble he's been putting himself through.
(b) It is likely that she is secretly in love with him.
(c) That she is in love with a white man and black men are not good enough for her.
(d) That she is too wrapped up in her son.

5. Why does Boots decide against killing Jubilee?
(a) He decides she is not worth his spending the rest of his life in prison.
(b) He can't find his gun.
(c) He is fearful her lover will exact revenge.
(d) He is really not in love with her anymore.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Mrs. Hedges tell Jones about Min's whereabouts after Min has been seen with the pushcart man?

2. What does Jones conclude about the best way to get to Lutie?

3. Which statement best describes the relationship between Junto and Boots?

4. What does Lutie plan to do after the situation with the postal investigators and Bub is resolved?

5. What effect does the cross over Min's bed have on Jones?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 13, Lutie is yet again propositioned. She's presented with the opportunity to receive free singing lessons if she'd just allow Mr. Crosse to see her a couple of times a week. Lutie refuses. What drives Lutie's determination not to exchange her body for personal advancement?

2. Jones realizes that Min has left in Chapter 16. He notes how empty his apartment feels and is especially disturbed by the absence of the table. Why is Jones' reaction ironic?

3. Explain why Junto and Boots feel that they can discuss Lutie's future and disregard her hopes without her consent.

4. Does the author's decision to write Chapter 12 from Jones's point of view impacted the readers' impression of the character?

5. Describe Jones' inability to own any responsibility for the nature of his relationship with Lutie.

6. In Chapter 17, Lutie is going to visit Bub at the Children's Shelter. The day is dark and grim. How has the author used the weather to supplement the telling of this story? How does the author's decision to use weather to supplement a story's telling impact the reader?

7. Chapter 18 ends tragically when Lutie repeatedly strikes Boots in the head with a candlestick. What does the author intend for Boots to represent? Why does Lutie feel compelled to strike him so many times?

8. Though Min has left Jones at the end of Chapter 15, she still has thoughts of her inadequacy. What does her insinuating conversation with the pushcart man lead the reader to believe?

9. Unfortunately, Bub's demise can be directly tied to Lutie. Despite her many attempts to keep Bub safe, she is actually the bait used to trap him. What message is the author trying to reveal with this fact?

10. What likely drew Junto to Mrs. Hedges?

(see the answer keys)

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