Study Questions

1. What was Sula’s last name?

2. What was the hymn sung at Sula’s funeral?

3. What were the two things under construction?

4. What did Shadrack see in the birthmark above Sula’s eye?

5. What did the purple-and-white belt symbolize for Shadrack?

6. How did Shadrack find out that Sula was dead?

7. Who was the first person to die at the tunnel?

8. How did most of the people react to Shadrack on this National Suicide Day?

9. How did the people begin to treat each other after the death of Sula?

10. How does the reader know that Shadrack was improving?

Answers

1. Sula’s last name was Peace.

2. The hymn sung at Sula’s funeral was “Shall We Gather at the River.”

3. The tunnel and the home for the aged were the two things under construction.

4. Shadrack saw a tadpole in the birthmark above Sula’s eye.

5. The purple-and-white belt symbolized a guest, a daughter, a woman, and a social life for Shadrack.

6. Shadrack found out that Sula was dead when he saw her on a table at Mr. Hodges’ home.

7. The first person to die at the tunnel was Dessie.

8. Most of the people laughed at Shadrack on this National Suicide Day.

9. The people begin to treat each other with no respect after the death of Sula.

10. The reader knows that Shadrack was improving because he felt loneliness.