The Secret Life of Bees Practice Test

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• What does the Black Madonna symbolize for the women of Tiburon?
• May's note is addressed to which two people?
• What is the closing image of the novel?
• How is the concept of family redefined in the novel?
• Which character resents Lily's mom?
• What happens to T. Ray when he finds out Deborah had been at the Boatwrights' home when she left him?
• How old was Lily when she killed her mom?
• The closing image shows Becca with whom?
• How does Rosaleen's experience influence Lily's courage?
• After August leaves Lily in the honey house, what does Lily do next?
• How does Lily feel when she and August go to collect honey and the bees come out and fly around her?
• What does Lily think will give her a "real chance" to learn how to be a beautiful, fashionable girl?
• Who is Becca's father?
• What effect does T-Ray's reaction to Lily's request for the silver charm bracelet have on her?
• How does Zach get out of jail?
• How does Lily's memory of her mother affect her sense of closeness?
• The lunch feast day news includes which controversial plan?
• Which statement about motherhood is highlighted in the narrative?
• Why did June treat Lily badly when she first came to the Boatwrights' house?
• What daydreams did Lily have about Rosaleen?
• Lily captures bees and puts them in a jar to prove to T-Ray that they really do exist. How does she take care of them, and how do they fare?
• The reason Becca and Lily are insulted is because of which connection?
• Which two characters flee to Tiburon?
• The tone of the name-calling Becca and Lily receive at school is described as?
• What promise does Zach make to Lily?
• Lily meets three Boatwright sisters in Tiburon. Which trio correctly lists them?
• When Lily first arrives at the Boatwright's house, she comes upon the black Madonna. How does the black Madonna make Lily feel?
• What is August's reply when Lily asked if she believes putting black cloths over the hives will help May get to heaven?
• What is the effect of Lily staying with August on her life path?
• After Lily pours the tear drop out of the bottom of the bee jar, she has a true religious moment and hears a voice say something. What does the voice say?
• What internal conflict does Lily confront regarding Deborah's memory?
• What first lets Lily know she has some prejudice buried inside herself?
• Becca goes to school with which character?
• Which Boatwright sister runs the honey house?
• What does Lily realize she might do after hearing T-Ray's line about being under his roof?
• What phrase does Lily declare at the Dixie Cafe stop sign?
• Who narrates the story?
• What does Lily learn from August while pasting labels on jars of honey?
• What is odd about the stone wall Lily comes upon in the woods?
• What happens to the bees when the queen dies?
• Which historic television event captivates Rosaleen in the story?
• Why isn't Rosaleen at the jail when Lily goes back to see her?
• What does August have to live without knowing all these years?
• What reason does August give Lily for not telling her sooner about her mother?
• What is the name of Lily's deceased mother?
• How does May's death affect the story's tone?
• How does Lily's perspective shape readers' understanding of events?
• What happens to May when she finds out about Zach's being arrested?
• How did Lily discover Rosaleen loved her "beyond reason"?
• Who is Lily's love interest in Tiburon?
• What happened when Lily and Zach drive to town to get a new radiator hose?
• Identify Deborah and tell three "scraps of information" Lily knows about her.
• Lily's mother's full name?
• Which sister is portrayed as the moral guide who teaches Lily about forgiveness?
• What does August say about May's ability to filter sadness?
• Who takes Lily to see the queenless colony?
• What happens when Lily goes to touch the heart of Our Lady of Chains?
• Which artifact helps reveal Deborah's perspective and influence Lily's understanding?
• What is the primary occupation associated with the Boatwright sisters?
• Why is the setting crucial to the book's exploration of race?
• Which effect does the event involving May have on the group's emotional state?
• What is May's jar primarily used to do?
• Who decides to marry Neil?
• Which event directly leads Lily to seek a safer home?
• What is Lily's ultimate decision about her future?
• What is Tica Tee described as?
• Which two events are directly connected in Lily's early life and the events described?
• What do Deborah's letters reveal to Lily?
• What is the nature of Lily's conflict with her father, T. Ray?
• Which statement best describes the frame narration technique used in the story?
• How do the Boatwrights embody female mentorship and support?
• What surprises Zach about Lily?
• After talking with Zach on the telephone, Lily thinks, 'Both of us, it seemed like, were doomed to misery.' What does she mean?
• What is the name of the book Lily looks into in August's room?
• What event foreshadows the dangers of racism Lily and Rosaleen face?
• Becca's father is named?
• Why did Deborah marry T. Ray?
• Rosaleen is arrested for which charges?
• Which major social issue frames the novel's setting in the 1960s South?
• How are Lily's inner life and outer events primarily conveyed?
• Which statement best captures Lily's emotional takeaway when thinking about her mother's memory?
• From Mr. Forrest's office, who does Lily call and why?
• What important message is in May's note to August and June?
• What critical information does May tell Lily?
• What role does hospitality play in Lily's experience with the Boatwrights?
• August Boatwright's occupation?
• What happens next after Lily declares she will never throw rose petals to anybody?
• How does the novel challenge racial stereotypes?
• What does Lily do at the wailing wall?
• What backdrop does the setting provide for the exploration of race relations?
• What does August take Lily out to see first thing in the morning?
• What happens between Lily and T-Ray after Lily is released from jail?
• Who comes to help Lily in her struggle against T. Ray?
• Where do Lily and Zach go to harvest honey?
• Which words describe Becca and Lily at school?
• Who is Rosaleen?
• Which character serves as Lily's maternal guide within the Boatwrights?
• Which statement reflects Becca and Lily's relationship to Zach?
• Who was April, and what happened to her?
• What is the result of Lily and June's fighting over the water sprinkler?
• Tiburon is located in which state?
• Which statement best describes Lily's intended journey with Rosaleen?
• Which sister becomes Lily's main maternal figure in Tiburon?
• According to May, what did Neil do to June?
• What did the statue say to Obadiah?
• Who stops Lily from touching the heart?
• Before Lily started first grade, what did T-Ray reveal to her?
• What does the black Madonna symbolize in the story?
• How does Lily feel about Rosaleen's moving to May's room?
• Where does Rosaleen go in her new red dress with big white flowers?
• After the incident in Sylvan, Lily Owens and Rosaleen flee to which town?
• What is Zach's response to Lily's statement about hearing of these things before you can imagine them?
• Which method did May use to lure insects?
• Which two settings mark the beginning and end of Lily's journey?
• In August's room, Lily looks at the book Mary Through The Ages. What shocks her?
• What does August tell Lily about her mother that makes Lily say 'I hate her'?
• What is Lily's feeling about Rosaleen moving to May's room?
• What is Lily's emotional arc by the end of the novel?
• Lily knows her mother was from Virginia and tells August that she and Rosaleen are headed to Virginia to find her aunt there. What does August say that electrifies Lily?
• Which sister is most associated with rationality and guardianship of tradition?
• Which narrative technique blends Lily's voice with Deborah's letters?
• What special help did Lily pray to Mary for?
• Which statement best captures Lily's growth regarding truth and forgiveness?
• What symbolic statue becomes Lily's focal point of guidance?
• What is Lily's father's name?
• Which option best describes Lily's realization of her hidden bias?
• What news does Zach bring on the lunch feast day?
• What does May do when an unpleasant topic is brought up? What is the only thing that seems to help her get over it?
• What does August tell June about regrets in Lily's situation?
• Which item in the hat box most closely ties Lily to her mother?
• Becca and Lily are friends with which boy?
• Who is Lily?
• What are August's parting words to Lily as she stands in the doorway after putting her to bed on the night of their big conversation?
• Who are The Daughters of Mary?
• When August says, Who've we got here, what is Lily's reply, and how does August respond to that?
• What is Deborah's relationship to Lily?
• What does Lily say about people having steel plates in their head?
• What does Mr. Avery Gatson say when the dealer hits Rosaleen and Lily screams?
• How does August feel about Lily and Rosaleen's company?
• Which family is Lily's host when she stays at the house that becomes central to the story?
• Which group is mentioned as coming to help Lily against T. Ray?
• Which letters reveal Deborah's life story and love for Lily?
• Who accompanies Lily on the honey gathering trip?
• Why does Lily decide to stay with August at the end?
• Becca's connection to Zach is that she is what?
• What did May do to lure the insects instead of killing them?
• What did Mrs. Henry do for Lily?
• Who answered the phone that led T. Ray to Lily?
• What phrase does May's note include as a directive to August and June?
• What event prompts Lily to flee with Rosaleen?
• Which statement best describes the symbolism of the Black Madonna in the narrative?
• Which narrative technique primarily drives the reader's understanding of Lily's inner life?
• How is forgiveness portrayed in the novel?
• Which character's emotional life is kept in a jar?
• To which state does Lily intend to travel with Rosaleen to search for her aunt?
• Which symbol most directly represents patient care and cooperation among women?
• During the honey collection, what do the bees do to Lily?
• Why is the photograph in the hat box important?
• What is Mary Day?
• Where did Obadiah find the statue?
• Which combination explains Deborah Fontanel's move to Sylvan?
• What theme is reinforced by Lily and Zach's cross-racial relationship?
• What big event happens on the first morning of Mary Day?
• What major event involving May Boatwright has a lasting impact on the community?
• After writing a letter to T.Ray, what does Lily do to the letter?
• Lily's father's surname?
• Which role does August Boatwright play in Lily's growth?
• What is Lily's reaction after learning the truth about her mother and the stains?
• What thing gives Lily the most gladness during the vigil for May?
• In what year and location is the majority of the narrative set?
• What is the 'wailing wall'?
• Which description best captures the Boatwright sisters' community?
• How old is Lily?
• Who is Becca?
• Deborah had been at which location before she left T. Ray?
• What is the significance of Deborah's letters to Lily's search for identity?
• What effect does May's death have on the community?
• What is the relationship of the queen bee to all the other bees in the hive?
• What does the hat box August brings to Lily in the honey house contain?
• Becca is the daughter of which person?
• How does T. Ray locate Lily?
• Why did Deborah Fontanel marry T. Ray?
• What two sources shape Lily's sense of self by the story's end?
• What did the enslaved people believe about Black Mary?
• Why does Lily leave the honey house while everyone seems to be meditating with Our Lady in Chains?
• What role does Zach play in Lily's moral development?
• Why does Rosaleen want to go to town?
• Why do the Daughters of Mary rub honey on Our Lady?
• What does August do to help diffuse the situation between T. Ray and Lily?
• Which statement best captures the novel's stance on family and care?
• From which state is Deborah?
• What is Lily's reaction during Rosaleen's assault?
• What does August tell Lily she always wants Lily to remember?
• What brings T. Ray back to his senses?
• How does Lily manage to help Rosaleen escape from the hospital?
• The setting's historical context includes which elements?
• At school, Becca and Lily are called racist and mean names because they are friends with which boy?
• What message does Lily have for me during the vigil?
• What is the queen bee's fertility status relative to other bees?
• The Daughters of Mary rub honey on Our Lady to preserve her for another year. What is the outcome they seek?
• Lily sees August and June hugging on the floor. What does August say to June that she intends also for Lily?
• What does T-Ray say would sink Lily forever?
• During the night after requesting the charm bracelet, where does Lily go?
• What happens in the afternoon after August took Lily to see the queenless colony?
• Who mentors Lily to question received truths and imagine new possibilities?
• What action does Lily take after she yells for T. Ray to stop?
• Where does Lily live?
• How does Lily's understanding of truth evolve by the end?
• What is August's advice to June after reading May's note?
• What happens when Neil and June are picking tomatoes?
• Identify Tica Tee.
• What symbolic object is used in meditation during the Mary Day vigil?
• What is Rosaleen's response when Lily asks why she never told her what she knew about her mother?
• What birthday gift did Lily request?
• Which summary best describes the legend of Our Lady of Chains?
• Which of the following is NOT a rule of bee yard etiquette?
• What feelings does Lily discover when she and Zach go into the country to harvest honey?
• Which statement best describes Lily's growth trajectory as suggested by the material?
• Which of the following best describes Kidd's writing style in this novel?
• What items were in the paper bag Lily found in the attic?
• Where does Lily go first when she leaves home and how does she get there?
• Which central theme about motherhood is highlighted?
• Which celestial object features in the closing image?
• What does August say is the whole problem with people?
• What did the enslaved people do after obtaining the statue?
• During the vigil, Lily finds and sends a message to which relative?
• Who narrates the story primarily?
• Lily wakes up T-Ray in the middle of the night to show him something. What does she want to show him?
• Lily runs after T. Ray as he leaves. What does she ask him, and what is his response?
• After tearing up the letter to T.Ray, what does Lily do in the parlor later that night?
• The journey begins in Sylvan, South Carolina and ends in Tiburon, South Carolina. In which state are these towns located?
• What happens to May after she goes to the Wailing Wall for the last time?
• What is August's stance on truth-telling and forgiveness?
• What name did the enslaved people give to the statue in the Our Lady of Chains legend?
• How does the book frame memory as a source of knowledge?
• How does Lily get Rosaleen out of the hospital?
• What theme is reinforced by Lily's relationship with Zach?