Life of Ruth
Who's wedding does Ruth attend at the end of the book?
David Lee Preston
Why did James like the idea of moving to Delaware?
Because he wanted a fresh start
Who assisted Ruth with the children after Dennis died?
Aunt Candis & Jacqueline
“We’re really moving back to New York now.”… “Contingency plans were made. Appointments were drawn up” (181).
A. alternate B. old C. unsafe D. immoral
Alternate
Why did Helen quit school?
Because she rejected the "white man's education"
During Ruth’s early years in New York, this famous black Muslim leader was speaking to crowds all around the city.
Malcolm X
What did James find in his father's briefcase?
Notes & quotations
Who did James reunite his mother with in the process of writing this book?
Frances
“’No she didn’t raise us Jewish.’ ‘Well, maybe that was for the best,’ he said. I was surprised by his candidness and said so” (227).
A. openness B. rudeness C. disgust D. judgement
Openness
What fell out of Ruth's grocery bag on the bus in Wilmington?
A turkey
How did the people at New York's City Hall react to Ruth and Dennis getting married?
They were rude
Why did James not search for Dee-Dee?
Because he didn't want to open old wounds
“Ruth, your parents haven’t done nothing to you that was so bad as to make you run around with that man. That man’s a pimp. He’s a pimp and he’s leading you around by the nose.”
Andrew (Dennis) McBride
“She often sat at the kitchen table in the evening, brooding, ‘What have I done? What was I thinking?’ staring off into space…” (182).
A. singing B. complaining C. whispering D. smiling
Complaining
What did James's older siblings discuss late into the night while James was growing up?
Civil Rights
What did Ruth find in her bag lunch after she saw her mother for the last time?
Her mother's Polish passport
Why did the Dawson's fire James from his job working on their estate?
He was caught sleeping on the job
“Everybody on this corner is smart. You ain’t no smarter than anybody here… Who are you ? You ain’t nobody!”
Chicken Man
“’They’re not going to get me,’ she mused, the amorphous ‘they’ being hospitals, the system, and anything else that ‘sticks tubes in you and takes your money at the same time” (256).
A. evil B. crazy C. ever present D. growing
Growing
How did Mameh's sisters announce that Bubeh had died?
By writing that they had three rooms worth of furniture to do away with
What sound can Ruth never forget?
The sound of her mother weeping
What did James experience in the middle of the night when he visited Suffolk?
His grandmother's loneliness
Who married Ruth and Dennis?
Reverend Brown
“Dennis saw the callous way my aunt treated me, and he saw her love trysts with Mr. Stein, and he never said anything about how she acted with Mr. Stein, but he’d always offer a kind word to me, or just make a joke” (171).
A. mean B. caring C. sensitive D. friendly
Mean
How did God, in the eyes of the community at Red Hook, honor Reverend McBride?
By seeing all of his children finish college