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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. Claudia says of the girls who come from places like Mobile and Aiken that they acquire skills in order to get rid of “the funkiness” of what?

2. What did Frieda’s father throw at Mr. Henry, knocking him off the porch, in Part IV?

3. What notion does the narrator refer to in Part IV as “Probably the most destructive ideas in the history of human thought”?

4. How did Pauline Williams injure her foot when she was young?

5. When Frieda tells Claudia what happened with Mr. Henry, Mr. Henry is compared to what townsperson in Part IV?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mr. Henry tell Claudia and Frieda about his unexpected guests in Part III? What do the girls do?

2. What are Claudia and Frieda’s feelings about Maureen Peal when she moves to Lorain in “Winter”?

3. How is Cholly Breedlove’s childhood described in “See Father…”? Who raised Cholly?

4. How is Geraldine’s family described in “See the Cat…”? Upon what does Geraldine focus her affection?

5. What are the perceptions of Claudia and Frieda as they wait to leave with Pecola from her mother’s workplace in “Spring”?

6. To whom do Claudia and Frieda turn in order to obtain whiskey in “Spring”? Why?

7. How does the narrator describe the blooming flowers and twigs in the opening of “Spring”?

8. Who do Claudia and Frieda encounter leaving their house when they return from Miss Bertha’s store in Part III?

9. What leads to Claudia and Frieda buying snacks at Miss Bertha’s in Part III?

10. Where do Frieda and Claudia go to find Pecola after their exchange with Maginot Line in “Spring”? How is this setting described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss racial discrimination within black communities in the United States. How and why, in the novel, is Maureen Peal depicted as being of a higher stature because of the lighter color of her skin tone? What discrimination does Maureen face in her community and in the white community?

Essay Topic 2

What adjectives and descriptive words are used in “See the Cat…” to describe the “types of girls” who come to Lorain from places like Mobile, Marietta, etc.? How do these girls differ from the “black girls” that Claudia and Frieda consider themselves? Do you think that the narrator views the girls as better than them, or simply as perceived as better?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the major movie stars discussed in the narrative in Part II. When was Shirley Temple’s height of fame? What other actresses are discussed? What do they share in common? How is Pecola’s name related to the movies?

(see the answer keys)

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