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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 is Amelia's demeanor toward the sick child?

2. Marvin Macy is characterized as ____________.

3. How old was Marvin Macy when he married Amelia?

4. Who is entranced by Marvin?

5. What does the author call a meeting of men on Amelia's porch?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the men in town get riled up on the day after Cousin Lymon's arrival and what are their plans?

2. What becomes of Amelia after Cousin Lymon and Marvin wreck her cafe and then leave town?

3. Why has Frances begun to dread her piano lessons even though she is technically very competent?

4. What does the author reveal about Miss Amelia's character and personality?

5. Why is Bitsy so bitter about his situation regarding his life compared to the lives of the rich men at the table?

6. What stage is the old man in in his system of learning to love?

7. What is Leo's role in the story?

8. What do the men think about Bitsy especially in light of the accident suffered by his good friend?

9. What is the setting of the story and who are the characters introduced?

10. How does Mr. Brook finally confront Madame Zilensky and how does he ultimately handle the situation with her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Carson McCullers is famous for her use of outcast characters in her fiction. Select three characters and explain what makes them such outcasts either physically or in demeanor.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the overall settings for the stories. Why does the author use the settings she does? What is the time period of the stories? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of women in the rural South in the 1940s when the women in the novel are living their lives. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have?

(see the answer keys)

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