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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. What is the final way Corinne hurts Nettie before she dies?

3. Who discovers that Mr. has been hiding Nettie’s letters?

4. How does Shug react when she learns that Celie is no longer writing letters to God?

5. Where does Celie stab Mr. when he tries to stop her from going to Memphis with Shug?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Shug so mean to Celie when she first moved in?

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

3. What is the “surprise” that Shug brings home for the family at Christmas, and how does Mr. react?

4. What does Nettie do her first evening in Olinka?

5. What is Nettie’s first impression of the Senegalese people she meets during her travels?

6. How has Corinne’s attitude changed toward Nettie since moving to Africa?

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

8. Where are Celie’s parents buried, and what marks their headstones?

9. How do the Olinka people first react to their new missionaries (including Nettie)?

10. How is the outside world changing Olinka?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is God represented in the novel? Why is it significant that Celie writes letters to him, and then abruptly stops? How are Celie and Shug’s views of God different? How do their views ultimately relate back to the novel’s title? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Why do you think Walker chose to name Celie’s husband Mr. _________? What message might she be sending the reader by not giving him a last name? In journalistic writing, last names are often omitted to protect certain identities. Might this tradition have influenced Walker in some way? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Describe Squeak’s character growth. How is her character described when she is first introduced to the reader? What major event changes the way she views herself, and how does this affect her choices later in life? Why does Squeak revert back to her birth name, Mary Agnes? In what ways is Mary Agnes (Squeak) still a victim at the end of the novel, even though she has taken back her independence? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

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