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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 does Hurston say that Janie's grandmother pinched and tied around Janie's neck "tight enough to choke her"?

2. How do the townspeople react to the scene between Jody and Janie in the store?

3. How does Janie suggest that Tea Cake get home?

4. What surprises Jody and Janie about Eatonville?

5. What has been Joe's source of power so far in the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Joe Starks' appearance.

2. What does Janie do immediately after Joe dies?

3. What is Joe's opinion of Eatonville when he first arrives?

4. Describe the scene that occurs in the store in Chapter 7.

5. How is death personified in Chapter 8?

6. Describe how Janie behaves after Joe's death.

7. Explain how Janie earns the name "Alphabet."

8. How is Tea Cake different than the other men in Janie's life?

9. What are the circumstances surrounding Joe's death?

10. What are some of the restrictions Jody places on Janie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Which characters in the novel are static? Which characters are dynamic? How do the two different types of characters contribute to the evolution of the story and its central themes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss violence as a theme in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Is it shown in a positive or acceptable light? Explain how Janie's reaction to the violent situations she experiences reveal something about her character. Would the violence in the novel be acceptable today?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the foreshadowing in the novel. What events or passages indicate that something important will happen later in the novel? What themes are presented briefly only to be fully expanded on by future events?

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