CliffsNotes on

The Color Purple

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About the Author

About the Novel

Introduction
A Brief Synopsis
List of Characters

Summaries and Commentaries

Letter 1
Letter 2
Letter 4
Letter 5
Letter 6
Letter 7
Letter 8
Letter 9
Letter 10
Letter 12
Letter 13
Letter 14
Letter 15
Letters 16 & 17
Letters 18-21
Letters 22-27
Letters 28-32
Letters 33-35
Letters 36-40
Letters 41 & 42
Letters 43-45
Letters 46-48
Letters 49-51
Letters 52-58
Letters 59-61
Letters 62-67
Letters 68 & 69
Letters 70-72
Letters 73-79
Letters 80 & 81
Letters 82-85
Letter 86
Letter 87
Letter 88
Letters 89 & 90

Character Analyses

Celie
Shug Avery
Albert/Mr. _____
Sofia

Study Help

Quiz
Essay Topics and Review Questions

Cite this Literature Note

Would you rather . . . ?

Have a third arm.
Have hair down to your toes.
Have no nose.

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Study Help

Quiz

1:  Celie initially writes to God

a. to share her tragic story and seek understanding

b. to pray for forgiveness

c. to prove that God does exists

d. to swear t God for her situation
2:  What do Celie and Nettie need above all?

a. money and food

b. tolerance from neighbors

c. respect and understanding

d. schooling
3:  Who is Shug Avery?

a. Celie’s father’s new wife

b. Celie’s husband’s former mistress

c. Celie’s future husband

d. Celie’s stepmother’s former boyfriend
4:  When Celie takes a trip into town, she discovers

a. wealthy black townspeople

b. kind store clerks

c. her sister

d. her baby
5:  What does Kate tell Celie she deserves?

a. an education

b. a blue dress

c. less than she has

d. more than she has
6:  Why does Mr. _______ beat Celie?

a. She writes letters.

b. She is too stubborn.

c. She is too self-confident.

d. She is a poor housekeeper.
7:  When Sofia confronts Celie, Sofia discovers that

a. Celie betrayed her

b. Celie wants her to leave

c. Celie is jealous of her

d. Celie never liked her
8:  When Albert says “Nobody fight for Shug,” he fails to realize that

a. nobody fights for Albert

b. nobody fights for Sofia

c. nobody fights for Harpo

d. nobody fights for Celie
9:  What is the significance of Celie’s giving Sofia the quilt?

a. They made the quilt together so Celie thought she should have it.

b. The quilt has some imperfections, just like they do.

c. Celie chooses to give it to Sofia, and rarely does she have a choice.

d. Celie hopes Sofia will remember her, because hardly anyone does.
10:  Squeak strikes Sofia because

a. Squeak is defending her territory

b. Sofia first struck Squeak

c. Squeak is protecting her children

d. Sofia struck the mayor
11:  Sofia leaves prison but is still imprisoned

a. by the sisterhood of her friends

b. by her work as a maid

c. by domestic violence

d. by her agreement with the police
12:  Celie went so many years without hearing from Nettie because

a. Nettie was busy with her missionary work

b. Nettie wanted to forget her dark childhood

c. Albert kept Nettie’s letters from Celie

d. Nettie was afraid that Celie had forgotten her
13:  Shug makes a pair of pants for Celie because

a. Celie wore out her other pants

b. Celie will look more sophisticated in pants

c. Celie will be less confined than in a dress

d. Celie needs new clothes to travel to town, and Shug only knows how to make pants
14:  The Olinka consider Nettie to be a non-person because

a. she is infertile

b. she has never married

c. she was molested by her father

d. she is Christian
15:  What is the significance of W.E.B. Du Bois in Letter 80?

a. Du Bois was an advocate for women’s rights, both in marriage and politics.

b. Du Bois believed economic freedom would lead to cultural and political freedom.

c. Du Bois thought that knowledge was the most important asset a person could acquire.

d. Du Bois stressed the importance of marriage and fidelity, so that women could achieve economic freedom.



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