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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 item in the living room of the Foote residence frightens Minny?

2. Who shows up at Skeeter's door and surprises her in chapter 13?

3. On what day is Celia supposed to tell her husband that she has hired Minny as their maid?

4. Who is Miss Myrna?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Skeeter begin visiting Aibileen at Mrs. Leefolt's house? What does Skeeter talk to Aibileen about?

2. How does the first interview between Skeeter and Aibileen go? What does Skeeter think will happen next?

3. What does Miss Celia do that Minny finds odd? Why does Minny have trouble teaching Miss Celia to cook?

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

5. How did Minny Jackson get an interview with Celia Foote? What happens at the interview?

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

7. 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?

8. 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?

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss one of the following in an essay using examples or quotes from the novel to support your conclusions:

1) Theme

2) Structure

3) Point of View

4) Language.

Essay Topic 2

What does Skeeter learn about the publication of her book at the end of the novel? How do Aibileen and Minny feel when they learn the book will be published? What decision does Minny make that she hopes will guarantee no one learns that the book was written about Jackson by maids living in Jackson? How does this place Minny in danger? Why does Aibileen think Minny made this decision? What are the sales like when the book first comes out? What changes this? What does Hilly think of the book? What does she tell all her friends about the book? What changes Hilly's mind about her determination to prove it was written in and about Jackson? Why does Hilly threaten to sue Skeeter?

Essay Topic 3

Why does Skeeter make it Aibileen's job to ask other maids to help with their book? How many does Aibileen ask? How many initially agree to help? What causes the reaction Aibileen receives from the other maids? What does Aibileen tell the reader a white woman might do to a maid who speaks out about their treatment in a private home? What impact could this situation cause to a maid and her family? Why does Aibileen not fear these consequences?

(see the answer keys)

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