Estimated Reading Time: 18 min
Jazz MCQs
1. What characteristic made the novel’s rejected opening sentence inappropriate for the project?
A. Musical, rhythmic
B. Mechanical, predictable
C. Emotional, raw
D. Dark, unforgiving
2. Which genre of music does Toni Morrison cite as influencing the novel’s expression and characteristics?
A. Gospel and Blues
B. Jazz and Blues
C. Classical Concertos
D. Rock and Roll
3. The central plot of the novel originated from reading a recollection about what event?
A. The East St. Louis riots
B. A specific blues song
C. A photographer’s story
D. A historical march
4. The period and setting of the novel focus on the emotional impact of relocating from the post-Reconstruction South to which location?
A. Post-WWI North
B. Chicago and Detroit
C. Philadelphia harbors
D. Rural Midwest
5. The narrator states that jazz music insists the past might haunt us, but it will not do what?
A. Entrap us
B. Define us
C. Inspire us
D. Shame us
6. The unnamed narrator’s voice originated unexpectedly from the author’s sudden feeling of what?
A. Profound joy
B. Calm detachment
C. Angered disgust
D. Deep melancholy
7. What item did Violet take to Dorcas’s funeral, intending to use it on the dead girl?
A. A loaded pistol
B. A piece of fabric
C. A kitchen knife
D. A sharp razor
8. Why did Dorcas’s aunt, Alice Manfred, choose not to pursue prosecution against Joe Trace?
A. Joe immediately fled
B. Lack of witnesses
C. Joe showed deep grief
D. Lawyers refused the case
9. What organization voted down assisting Violet because only “prayer—not money—could help her now”?
A. The City Belles
B. The Civic Daughters
C. Salem Women’s Club
D. The Lady Masons
10. What was Violet’s first attempt at retaliation against her husband, Joe Trace?
A. Started drinking heavily
B. Sought religious guidance
C. Got a boyfriend
D. Cut off her hair
11. Why did Violet begin persistently questioning people about Dorcas, including beauticians and teachers?
A. To find her murderer
B. To solve the mystery of love
C. To gather dirt on her rival
D. To mock the girl’s memory
12. Where did Violet decide to place the picture of Dorcas, taken from her aunt?
A. In Joe’s wallet
B. On the mantelpiece
C. Under her pillow
D. Inside a trunk
13. How does Violet perceive Dorcas’s face in the photograph at night?
A. Calm and sweet
B. Greedy and lazy
C. Young and pretty
D. Confused and sad
14. What is Violet’s profession in the City, enabling her to earn money?
A. Hotel housekeeper
B. Legally licensed beautician
C. Unlicensed hairdresser
D. Factory seamstress
15. What emotion does Violet risk being overtaken by if she stops keeping herself constantly busy?
A. Molten rage
B. Quiet despair
C. Deep loneliness
D. Unbearable hunger
16. What extreme action did Violet take in public, way before the funeral, that surprised onlookers?
A. Tried to fly
B. Sat down in the street
C. Began screaming
D. Stole a carriage
17. What item did Violet try to steal, intending to bring it home for Joe?
A. A jeweled purse
B. A Victrola record
C. A small baby
D. A new parrot
18. What was left in the baby carriage after Violet walked off with the infant?
A. A bottle of milk
B. A small blanket
C. The Trombone Blues
D. A silk stocking
19. What happened to Violet’s parrot that used to say “I love you”?
A. It was eaten by cats
B. It flew away and died
C. Violet set it free
D. Joe released it
20. What is the City characterized by in 1926, creating an atmosphere of freedom and danger?
A. Unreasonable optimism
B. Permanent depression
C. Structured rules
D. Constant quiet
21. What did Joe Trace struggle to remember about his relationship with Violet, despite recalling details?
A. Important dates
B. Their early scenes
C. What their love felt like
D. Their family lineage
22. Where was Joe Trace when he first became captivated by Dorcas?
A. At a dance club
B. In a drugstore
C. Outside the church
D. On Lenox Avenue
23. When deciding to pursue Dorcas, Joe categorized this choice alongside what other major life actions?
A. Finding a job
B. Choosing his name
C. Buying a rifle
D. Winning a lottery
24. Joe and Violet left Vesper County, Virginia, and traveled North on which train line?
A. Northern Star
B. Southern Sky
C. City Express
D. Pullman Limited
25. The narrator notes that for men, a day for satisfaction and comfortable pleasure in the City is typically which day?
A. Thursday
B. Friday
C. Saturday
D. Wednesday
26. What was Alice Manfred watching on Fifth Avenue in 1917, characterized by “cold black faces”?
A. A silent march
B. A military procession
C. A lively festival
D. A political rally
27. What location did Alice find the most fearful because of the actions of white people there?
A. Eleventh Avenue
B. Springfield, MA
C. Fifth Avenue
D. Clifton Place
28. Dorcas’s parents were killed during the 1917 race riots in which city?
A. East St. Louis
B. Baltimore
C. Springfield, OH
D. New Orleans
29. Alice Manfred believed the lowdown music was connected to the violence because it made people do what?
A. Think deeply
B. Disorderly things
C. Work harder
D. Find comfort
30. How did Dorcas interpret the drums during the march, contrasting with Alice’s perception of a rope of fellowship?
A. A solemn warning
B. A command to live
C. A call for peace
D. A signal of doom
31. Neola Miller, one of the women who watched Dorcas, had a paralyzed arm due to what past event?
A. A serious accident
B. Abandonment by her groom
C. An early illness
D. Fighting in the riots
32. What products did Joe Trace primarily sell, leading him to visit Alice Manfred’s house?
A. Perfume samples
B. Cleopatra products
C. Hair accessories
D. Medicinal herbs
33. What physical trait of Joe Trace attracted the attention and compliments of the women at Alice Manfred’s luncheon?
A. His handsome shoes
B. His two-color eyes
C. His soft voice
D. His muscular arms
34. What feeling did Alice Manfred experience about Joe Trace’s crime, leading her to feel unsafe in her own home?
A. Impunity of the man
B. Deep sympathy
C. Religious sadness
D. Quiet confusion
35. What was the central concern of Alice Manfred’s parents that shaped her upbringing and attitude toward Dorcas?
A. Financial failure
B. Avoiding pregnancy
C. Supporting the War
D. Achieving fame
36. When Alice asked Violet why Joe shot Dorcas, what was Violet’s countering question?
A. Was she sleeping?
B. Why did she?
C. Did she cry first?
D. Was she afraid?
37. What substance did Violet confess she used to “love” and that drove her husband cràzy?
A. Chewing gum
B. White starch
C. Cane liquor
D. Fried pork
38. What key lesson did Violet realize and laugh about during her conversation with Alice, remembering her grandmother, True Belle?
A. Men are terrible
B. Laughter is serious
C. Life is unfair
D. Patience is necessary
39. What traumatic event caused Violet’s mother, Rose Dear, to commit suÌcide?
A. A house fire
B. Jumping in the well
C. Death of her husband
D. A fatal sickness
40. Who was the light-skinned, spoiled young man that True Belle cared for and filled Violet’s head with stories about?
A. Victory Williams
B. Joe Trace
C. Golden Gray
D. Colonel Gray
41. What last name did Joe choose for himself after learning that his parents “disappeared without a trace”?
A. Williams
B. Henry
C. Trace
D. Lestroy
42. How many times does Joe claim to have “changed” and become a new person before meeting Dorcas?
A. Three times
B. Five times
C. Seven times
D. Ten times
43. What did Golden Gray bring with him on his journey south, besides his horse and carriage?
A. A pistol and liquor
B. His large trunk
C. A map and compass
D. Gold ingots
44. When Golden Gray came upon the naked pregnant woman in the woods, what animal did he compare his horse to?
A. A loyal dog
B. A dark vision
C. A simple mule
D. A wild black woman
45. Who was the legendary woodsman and father that Joe Trace sought out, known as Hunter’s Hunter?
A. Walter Felton
B. Henry Lestroy
C. Victory Williams
D. Colonel Gray
46. What crucial information did True Belle give Golden Gray before he set out to find his father?
A. Go and seek revenge
B. Steal your birthright
C. It’s the going that counts
D. Bring a weapon
47. What does Joe realize Dorcas represented for him, a desire that “everybody loses”?
A. Financial security
B. Young loving
C. Creative freedom
D. Respectable company
48. What did Dorcas whisper to Felice before she allowed herself to die from the gunshot wound?
A. Leave me alone
B. The bullet is small
C. Only one apple
D. I forgive Joe
49. What did the narrator realize they mistakenly judged, leading them to feel “unreliable”?
A. The complexity of music
B. The nature of the City
C. The people’s true thoughts
D. The speed of change
50. What new item do Joe and Violet plan to purchase together, symbolizing their renewed couple-love and comfort?
A. A Victrola record player
B. A powder blue blanket
C. A golden parrot
D. A dining room table
Brief Overview
Jazz is a novel by Toni Morrison, published in 1992. The novel is set against the backdrop of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, often referred to simply as “the City.” It powerfully addresses themes of love, violence, race, identity, and profound loss.
The story centers on an older couple, Joe and Violet Trace, who moved north from the country seeking freedom and opportunity. Joe Trace, nearing fifty, began a passionate relationship with a much younger girl named Dorcas.
Joe loved Dorcas deeply and tragically shot her in an attempt to keep that strong feeling alive. Violet, Joe’s wife, was hurt and angry by the betrayal. She went to Dorcas’s funeral with a knife to cut the dead girl’s face, was quickly thrown out, and later let her birds fly out of their cages.
Joe was not arrested for the shooting, but he cried constantly. Violet became pathologically obsessed with Dorcas, placing the dead girl’s photograph on their mantelpiece to try to understand the mystery of love. Dorcas died in 1926, having refused medical help after being shot.
Later, Violet started visiting Alice Manfred, Dorcas’s aunt. The two women slowly talked about their shared pain and grief. Joe and Violet began the slow process of healing their marriage.
They stopped sleeping at night and found time to laugh and dance together again, working toward a love that is honest and lasting.
