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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 Audre express a desire for in Chapter 4?

2. What occupation is the man who first molests Audre in the book?

3. What does Audre say that she and Gennie never shared together in Chapter 14?

4. What does Audre do to her first boyfriend when she begins college?

5. How much does Audre tell her family about her molestation in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the nature of the results of the aptitude test Audre takes in high school?

2. How is Audre's work ethic at St. Catherine's described in regards to her schoolwork?

3. How is Gennie's relationship with her mother Louisa described in the book?

4. How does Audre describe her introduction to cooking in the book?

5. How does a boy named Alvin help Audre succeed in her first grade class?

6. What does Audre's mother believe is happening to Gennie to cause her to commit suicide?

7. What role does Audre's love for making up stories have in her becoming a writer?

8. What does Audre do after being molested by a comic book storeowner?

9. How does Audre react to Gennie's death in the book?

10. How does Audre describe her view of her mother when she was a young child in Harlem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The concept of heritage is something brought up in several capacities throughout the book.

1) How is the Grenadian heritage, namely the Carriacou culture examined in the book and what impact does it have on the author?

2) What lessons does Audre learn about the importance of heritage from her relationship with Eudora while in Mexico?

3) How does Audre reflect upon her own heritage in the book and how does she define it?

Essay Topic 2

The author makes an interesting choice in the book by highlighting many true historical events throughout the text and offers her own opinions and reactions to them.

1) Why does the author often combine her own personal experiences alongside historical events such as Pearl Harbor?

2) What can we learn about the importance that political freedom has for the author based on her portrayal of McCarthyism in the book?

3) What can we learn about Audre's political and social beliefs based on her support of the Rosenbergs while they are on trial, especially given the ways she is able to identify with them?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the importance that poetry and storytelling have in the book. How does the author use these devices as an outlet to express her own frustrations and desires about her social surroundings and humanity in general?

(see the answer keys)

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