Good Country People

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Why did Hulga wait until she was 21 to change her name?

A) She couldn’t decide on a name until then.

B) She was an adult and not living with her mother at the time.

C) Her mother asked her not to change her name until then.

D) She never wanted to change her name in the first place.

2. What makes Mrs. Hopewell invite Manley to dinner?

A) He mentions his heart condition.

B) He sells her a Bible.

C) Hulga has taken an interest in him.

D) Mrs. Freeman asks if he can join them for dinner.

3. What does Manley insist Hulga tell him when they kiss?

A) She is attracted to him.

B) She wants to be his girlfriend.

C) She loves him.

D) She never wants to go back home.

4. Which of the following most strongly develops the theme of The Hypocrisy of the Old South?

A) The inclusion of a divorcee in the story

B) The hollowed-out Bible carrying Manley’s vices

C) The names of the characters

D) The fact that Hulga is an atheist

5. Which character says, “He was so simple […] but I guess the world would be better off if we were all that simple”?

A) Hulga

B) Carramae

C) Mrs. Hopewell

D) Mrs. Freeman

6. Which “stock” character type does Manley Pointer best exemplify?

A) Prince Charming

B) The Boy Next Door

C) The Traveling Salesman

D) The Jock

7. How is the description of Mrs. Hopewell as having “no bad qualities of her own” an example of verbal irony?

A) Mrs. Hopewell is judgmental and critical of everyone she encounters.

B) Mrs. Hopewell is a modest woman with relatively no behavioral issues.

C) Hulga describes her this way, but readers know she does not believe it.

D) Hulga knows her best, and she refutes the claim.

8. Why does Mrs. Hopewell think Hulga makes a stumping sound when she walks?

A) It announces her presence in a room.

B) It pleases Mrs. Freeman.

C) It reminds Mrs. Hopewell of the hunting accident.

D) It is an ugly sound.

9. What does Mrs. Hopewell wonder when she sees Hulga interact with Manley at the mailbox?

A) If Hulga and the salesman know each other

B) What Hulga says to the salesman

C) If Hulga is in danger

D) Whether Hulga will run away with him

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How would the story change if it were written in a different historical period? Would the language and themes change? Would Manley get away with his deceit? Explain your reasoning.

2. Besides theft, what is Manley’s motive for humiliating Hulga?