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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. Why does Minny tell Aibileen she needs to find a new job in chapter 2?

2. What does Aibileen tell Skeeter in chapter 11 her grandmother did for a living?

3. Why does one of Aibileen's grown white children tell her he still does not drink coffee in chapter 7?

4. Why does Hilly express distaste at using Mrs. Leefolt's guest bathroom in chapter 1?

5. Who is Patricia van Devender?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Hilly Holbrook ask Aibileen that she feels she must answer honestly for Mae Mobley's sake? Why does Hilly ask this question of Aibileen?

2. In chapter 10, Celia locks herself in the bathroom and yells at Minny when she comes to change the bedsheets. What does this and other odd behaviors say about Celia?

3. What was Treelore hoping to do before his death? How did Aibileen feel about this?

4. Who is Constantine? What does Skeeter think happened to her?

5. Who is Skeeter Phelan? How does she know Hilly Holbrook? What did Hilly threaten to do in the beginning of chapter 5 to Skeeter?

6. Who is Yule May? What does she want to speak to Aibileen about at a meeting at their church?

7. Who does Aibileen go to work for at the beginning of the novel? What happened just a few months before she accepted this job?

8. Who is killed blocks from Aibileen's home? What is the aftermath of this death?

9. What letter does Skeeter receive in chapter 6 that inspires her to begin searching for a writing job and to find unique topics to write about?

10. What worries Minny about the day that Celia Foote will tell her husband that she has hired a maid? How does Johnny Foote finally find out about Minny?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Hilly's bathroom initiative. What is it? What is the point behind it? Why would Hilly think that sharing a bathroom with a black person could lead to the exchange of deadly diseases? Why does Hilly pressure Mrs. Leefolt into building a bathroom in the car port for Aibileen? How does Aibileen feel about this? What happens when Aibileen takes Mae Mobley into the new bathroom constructed for Aibileen's use? What does Mrs. Leefolt do when Mae Mobley attempts to use the bathroom in the carport? How does this inspire Aibileen to begins sharing secret stories with Mae Mobley?

Essay Topic 2

What does Hilly find in Skeeter's satchel that makes her think Skeeter is a supporter of civil rights? How does Hilly react to this? Why does she react in this way? What is Hilly's opinion of the treatment of blacks in Jackson? How is this reflected by her actions and comments? How does this impact Skeeter's social status in Jackson after Hilly finds something questionable in Skeeter's satchel? What does Skeeter think Hilly found? How does this lead to fear on hers and Aibileen's parts? What does Aibileen overhear that makes Skeeter feel better about the situation?

Essay Topic 3

Who is Aibileen? What does she mean when she says that she has raised seventeen children? Why does Aibileen not remain with these kids until adulthood? What changes in the children that Aibileen finds hard to deal with? How could this frequent change in employment lead to trouble for Aibileen? What happened shortly before Aibileen went to work for the Leefolts? How did this tragedy come about? How has it impacted Aibileen? How did this tragedy make Aibileen more open to falling in love with Mae Mobley? How does Mrs. Leefolt treat her only child? What causes this? What does Aibileen do about it?

(see the answer keys)

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