Cora Unashamed - Parts 1 + 2 Recap

Which of the following character traits best describes Mrs. Art Studevant (Jessie's mom and Cora's boss)?

• nervous and timid

• pretentious and wealthy

• fair and just

Which of the following quotes is about Pa (Cora's dad)?

• Love didn't take long—Cora with the scent of the Studevants' supper about her, and a cheap perfume. [He was], big and strong and careless as the horses he took care of, smelling like the stable.

• [He was] rather a drunkard. What little money he made from closet cleaning, ash hauling, and junk dealing he spent mostly on the stuff that makes you forget you have eight kids.

• [He] died. [His wife] had two strokes. [His daughter and his daughter's husband] began to look their age, graying hair and sagging stomachs.

Which of the following words best describes Melton?

• miserable and rural

• uppity and rich

• domestic and lovely

How many black families live in Melton?

• 1

• 3

• 5

What happened to Joe and Cora's relationship?

• Joe stayed with Cora to raise Josephine well, and they moved in together.

• Joe paid to make sure Ma and Pa were taken care of, and he built Cora a new house to live in with Jessie.

• Joe left town while Cora was pregnant with their baby, and Cora wasn't surprised -- she hadn't expected to marry him in the first place because even though he was a foreigner, he was still white.

This line is repeated throughout the two parts. What does it mean?

Paragraph 18 - "Cora was humble and shameless before the fact of the child."

Paragraph 24 - "She was gentle and humble in the face of life—she loved their baby."

Paragraph 31 - "So, humble and unashamed about life, one afternoon she marched into Mrs. Art's sun porch and announced quite simply, "Jessie's going to have a baby.""

• Cora cares deeply about life, as represented by the babies. She values life above everything else. This is the reason why she works so hard.

• Cora is happy to be anyone's babysitter, as long as she's making money.

• Cora thinks that you should feel ashamed if you're going to have a baby.

Which of the following does NOT happen in "Cora Unashamed"?

• Cora is left behind by her brothers and sisters to take care of her aging father and mother.

• Cora quits school in 8th grade to work for the Studevants, and she's still working for them at the age of 40.

• The Studevants love Cora and treat her like a treasured member of the family.

• Jessie, Mrs. Art Studevant's daughter, graduates high school late, but gets pregnant right before she's supposed to go to college.

Pick two quotes that BEST describe Cora and Jessie's relationship.

• "Nowhere in Melton, nor with anyone, did Jessie feel so comfortable as with Cora in the kitchen."

• "Jessie knew her mother looked down on her as a stupid girl. "

• "In that big and careless household it was always Cora who stood like a calm and sheltering tree for Jessie to run to in her troubles."

• "Jessie came, when called, red and sweating, but had to go out, for when her mother looked up from the couch and saw her she yelled louder than ever."

Which of the following characters is dead?

• Josephine

• Joe

• Jessie

• Mrs. Art Studevant

How did Cora react when her daughter died?

• She cursed God and grieved, but after a week, she went back to work.

• She became depressed and angry, blaming her father for what happened.

• She didn't go back to the Studevants' to work.