Meridian MCQs
1. What item was parked in the public square beside the statue?
A. Cannon.
B. Army tank.
C. Ambulance.
D. Bus.
2. What did the Confederate soldier statue sustain while the tank was being parked?
A. Broken sword.
B. Crushed right leg.
C. Damaged pedestal.
D. Missing hat.
3. What was the name of the “dead lady” displayed in the circus wagon?
A. Louvinie.
B. Fast Mary.
C. Marilene O’Shay.
D. Feather Mae.
4. What were the three virtues listed for Marilene O’Shay on the circus wagon?
A. Saintly, Loyal, Kind.
B. Obedient, Devoted, Adoring.
C. Pure, Sweet, Good.
D. Humble, Generous, Faithful.
5. Why did the children decide Marilene O’Shay was a fake?
A. She looked too young.
B. She was made of plastic.
C. Her hair was falling out.
D. She smelled bad.
6. How did Meridian handle the army tank blocking her way?
A. Walked around it.
B. Lay down in front.
C. Knocked on its carapace.
D. Burst into song.
7. According to the local sweeper, what did guano plant workers smell like?
A. Rotten eggs.
B. A dead fish.
C. Swamp mud.
D. Burning tires.
8. What did Truman compare Meridian’s living conditions to?
A. A pigsty.
B. A cell.
C. A monk’s retreat.
D. A cave.
9. What did Truman initially nickname Meridian upon seeing her beard and jacket?
A. Chairman Mao.
B. Fidel.
C. Che Guevara.
D. Lenin.
10. What phrase describes the community’s saying about Meridian’s episodes of paralysis?
A. Too sick to move.
B. If hit hard enough, one falls.
C. Lazy person’s disease.
D. God’s punishment.
11. What part of her body was Meridian struggling to regain use of when Truman watched?
A. Her legs and arms.
B. Her voice.
C. Her neck.
D. Her eyes.
12. What was the repeated question Meridian’s mother asked regarding guilt?
A. Have you confessed?
B. Have you prayed?
C. Have you stolen anything?
D. Are you sorry?
13. What did Meridian realize was the source of her earliest guilt towards her mother?
A. Disobeying her faith.
B. Stealing gold.
C. Shattering her mother’s self.
D. Running away from home.
14. What did Meridian find and then forget to dig up from under the magnolia tree?
A. A family heirloom.
B. A gold bar.
C. A dead bird.
D. An old map.
15. Why did Meridian’s father cry while looking at the map of Indian settlements?
A. He was sick.
B. He felt sorrow/pity.
C. He was arguing.
D. The map was ripped.
16. What did Meridian’s great-grandmother, Feather Mae, renounce after her ecstatic experience?
A. Material possessions.
B. Family duties.
C. All religion not based on ecstasy.
D. Baptist faith.
17. What did Meridian’s father say the Sacred Serpent coil was constructed to simulate?
A. Ecstasy.
B. Dying.
C. Birth.
D. Flying.
18. What was Meridian’s main motivation for having sex with Eddie?
A. Pleasure.
B. Money.
C. Sanctuary from pursuit.
D. Curiosity.
19. What name did Meridian choose for her baby, Eddie Jr.?
A. Camara.
B. Truman.
C. Rundi.
D. Lamar.
20. What did the sight of the bombed Movement house make Meridian realize?
A. She loved Eddie.
B. She was a coward.
C. The larger world’s past/present.
D. Her need for God.
21. What item did Meridian’s mother-in-law teach her was impossible if love was made standing up?
A. Impotence.
B. Pregnancy.
C. Satisfaction.
D. Love.
22. What did Meridian think Daxter’s penis looked like?
A. A black plum.
B. An English walnut.
C. A short stick.
D. A small bean.
23. What was the subject of Meridian’s recurring dream?
A. Being chased.
B. Insoluble problem solved by death.
C. Floating.
D. Flying away.
24. Who planted the magnificent magnolia tree called The Sojourner?
A. Louvinie.
B. Fast Mary.
C. Feather Mae.
D. Master Saxon.
25. What happened to Louvinie after the tragedy involving the Saxon child?
A. She was exiled.
B. She was sold.
C. Her tongue was clipped.
D. She was freed.
26. What ritual did all Saxon students share concerning Fast Mary of the Tower?
A. A slow May Day dance.
B. A prayer meeting.
C. A moment of silence.
D. A candlelit vigil.
27. What did students destroy in frustration after Wile Chile’s funeral was refused admittance?
A. The president’s house.
B. The chapel door.
C. The Sojourner tree.
D. The honors house.
28. What was Miss Winter’s response when Meridian’s mother reminded Meridian to trust in God after her speech failure?
A. She scolded the mother.
B. She offered forgiveness.
C. She told Meridian to leave.
D. She laughed bitterly.
29. What was one of Miss Winter’s musical subjects that rose against Saxon tradition?
A. Pop.
B. Jawhz.
C. Gospel.
D. Folk.
30. What was Meridian’s senior thesis based on?
A. Nonviolence.
B. Land ownership limits.
C. Black Capitalism.
D. Educational reform.
31. What was Anne-Marion’s final parting comment to Meridian during her illness?
A. You need a doctor.
B. I cannot afford to love you.
C. You must eat more.
D. Truman will return.
32. What kind of worker was Meridian’s friend Tommy Odds before he was shot?
A. Mechanic.
B. Student.
C. Factory worker.
D. Pool hall hustler.
33. How did Truman attempt to justify dating white exchange students to Meridian?
A. They were more educated.
B. He felt healthy with them.
C. It was a matter of sex.
D. They were good friends.
34. What was Truman’s cruel, thoughtless answer to Meridian when she asked what he saw in white girls?
A. They read the Times.
B. They were virgins.
C. They smelled sweet.
D. They were easy.
35. What did Truman begin to paint, which he covered up when Lynne entered the room?
A. Landscapes.
B. Black women’s bodies.
C. Abstract art.
D. Meridian’s face.
36. Why was Lynne disappointed by her father’s response when she called about Camara’s death?
A. He cursed her.
B. He was emotionless.
C. He blamed Truman.
D. He was too busy.
37. What material object did Lynne say Truman’s interest in the póor and black was linked to?
A. His painting.
B. His camera.
C. His wallet.
D. His clothes.
38. What did Lynne try to banish the exchange students with in her mind?
A. A curse.
B. A special broom.
C. A song.
D. A prayer.
39. What kind of car did Truman and Lynne take when they went South after the disappearance of the Civil Rights workers?
A. A bus.
B. A borrowed motorcycle.
C. A black ruin of a car.
D. A Volvo.
40. What did Truman compare Lynne’s stoutness and peeling nose to during their argument?
A. A cow.
B. A dog.
C. A pig.
D. A sheep.
41. What item did Tommy Odds say he lost due to the machine-gun fire?
A. His vision.
B. His lower arm.
C. His memory.
D. His leg.
42. What did Tommy Odds do to Lynne after the rape attempt failed due to his impotence?
A. He apologized.
B. He spat and urinated.
C. He ran away.
D. He cried.
43. What did Tommy Odds say was the reason white women like Lynne sought out black men?
A. To prove racial equality.
B. To atone for sins.
C. They were better lovers.
D. To gain experience.
44. What item did Lynne purchase with money from selling a poem after the assault?
A. Bus ticket.
B. New clothes.
C. Birth control pills.
D. Gun.
45. What did Meridian suggest Truman should do after she kissed him “long, lingeringly” when she left?
A. Follow her.
B. Read her poems.
C. Burn the letters.
D. Stay in his cell.
46. What animal did the woman whose life Meridian discussed claim her husband was infatuated with?
A. A cat.
B. A dog.
C. A mule.
D. A horse.
47. What did Miss Margaret Treasure make her husband promise to kill before she returned to him?
A. A pig.
B. A cow.
C. The dog.
D. The painter.
48. What was the occupation of the sick woman’s husband, Johnny, who was fired for not wearing blinders?
A. Copper plant worker.
B. Newspaper seller.
C. Farmer.
D. Mason.
49. What object, which was not the river, did the confined girl in prison say Meridian brought that she liked?
A. A red apple.
B. A flower.
C. A photograph.
D. A Bible.
50. What object did the black man parade during the MLK funeral procession, which Meridian noticed?
A. A silver cross.
B. A small white poodle.
C. A black flag.
D. A mule-drawn cart.
Brief Overview
Meridian is a novel by Alice Walker. It tells the story of Meridian Hill, a young Black woman who dedicates her life to the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The novel follows Meridian from her troubled youth in the South through her years of political activism.
Meridian’s journey begins with the difficult experience of having a child, Truman, very young. She gives him up for adoption so she can attend college and commit herself fully to the cause of civil rights.
Her commitment is deep, but it also comes with immense personal sacrifice and psychological cost.
At college, Meridian joins the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She works in voter registration and education in the most dangerous parts of the South. She becomes committed to non-violence, even when faced with extreme brutality.
The novel also focuses on Meridian’s complex relationships. She loves Truman Held, a charismatic but flawed male activist, who eventually marries her friend, Lynne. This romantic triangle highlights the difficult roles of women in the Movement.
Meridian suffers from severe emotional and mental distress due to the trauma of the Movement. She is sometimes unable to speak or move. The story details her long, painful process of healing and coming to terms with her past.
The novel ultimately focuses on her quiet, enduring dedication and her final spiritual wholeness as she commits to helping the póor and oppressed.