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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. How does Pa initially react when he first sees Celie on his property?

2. How does Nettie react to the jungle surrounding Olinka?

3. According to the letters, how does Nettie feel being away from Celie?

4. For whom does Sofia work when she is released from prison?

5. How did the reverend and his wife treat Nettie when she first arrived?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who did Pa marry after Celie and Nettie moved out, and what does this suggest about his personality?

2. Why did Shug’s parents kick her out of the house when she was growing up?

3. What does Celie imagine that God looks like, and how does this affect her relationship with Him?

4. What coming-of-age ritual does Tashi partake in, and what is the reaction to her participation?

5. How does Celie react to the news that Pa has died?

6. How did the reverend and his wife treat Nettie when they first met her?

7. How does Shug picture God?

8. How does Celie react when she learns that Mr. has been hiding Nettie’s letters?

9. Who is Mary Agnes?

10. How does Billy get hurt on the day that Celie visits Sofia at the mayor’s house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Celie’s sexuality. How was she first introduced to sex, and how did that introduction affect her future relationships? What did Shug teach Celie about her sexuality, and how did this lesson change Celie for the rest of the novel? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

How does Nettie’s life change when she moves in with Samuel and Corinne? What suspicions do the reverend and his wife have about their new charge? How are these suspicions ultimately resolved, and how does that change Nettie’s life once again? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

What is sewing a symbol for in the novel? Why is it significant that Celie and Sofia sew a quilt together after Shug moves in? What does the diversity of a patchwork quilt suggest about the relationships in the novel, particularly the female relationships? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 943 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample