The Help Test Review Sheet

What does Skeeter eventually reveal happened behind the toilet situation?

Skeeter admits to paying Pascagoula's brothers $25 each to go to the junkyard and take those toilets to Hilly's lawn

How did Eugenia get the nickname Skeeter?

When she was born, her brother looked at her and said "It's not a baby, its a skeeter!" Her thin, long legs and pointy nose led to her being named after a mosquito

What is Yule May imprisoned for?

Yule May is imprisoned for stealing one of Hilly's old ruby rings, because she needed more money to pay for her twin sons to go to college.

At the end of the novel, what final words does Aibileen want Mae Mobley to remember?

"You is kind", "you is smart", "you is important"

What gifts do Aibileen and Skeeter receive from Aibileen's church?

Aibileen and Skeeter receive copies of the book that have been signed by hundreds of black church members

What happens when Aibileen and Mae Mobley discover the toilets on Hilly's lawn?

Aibileen counts the toilets and Mae Mobley runs up to one and starts peeing in it

What happens at the benefit? What is it supposed to raise money for? How does the narrative style change in this paragraph?

All of Jackson comes to raise money for the POOR sTARVING cHILDREN OF Africa (too lazy to fix the random caps). Everyone is dressed conservatively but Celia shows up looking sexy and the men are appreciative but the women are angry. Celia tries making friends but is shunned, so she gets more intoxicated. Skeeter is also shunned. Hilly makes a speech thanking the contributor of the toilets, which is obviously Skeeter, drawing more attention to Skeeter's unfortunate situation. Then Celia tries to talk with Hilly and gets ducked; Hilly flirts with Johnny while Celia is in the bathroom. Hilly ironically wins Minny's pie and Hilly accuses Celia of signing her up for the pie. Celia thinks Hilly is angry because of Celia and Johnny's relationship so an argument occurs resulting in Celia accidentally ripping Hilly's dress. Celia starts to cry then vomits. Aibee and Minny see this from the sidelines. Miss Walters tells Hilly it was her who nominated her for the pie.

What are the reasons for both break-ups between Skeeter and Stuart?

Breakup #1: Stuart was still too attached to his ex-fiance Breakup #2: Skeeter tells Stuart about the book, he is shocked and claims that he can't marry someone he doesn't know; Skeeter and Stuart have opposing views about racism

Give an example of one of Aibileen's "secret stories" for Mae Mobley.

Candy Story-It's on the inside that counts -Aibileen gives Mae Mobley two pieces of identical candy: on piece wrapped in brown paper and the other wrapped in white. -Mae Mobley unwraps candy to find exact same thing on the inside, despite the different color wrappings. -Wrappings represent skin color while the identical candies show that no matter the skin color, what's inside is what is equal and the same

Review the details of Mrs. Phelan's illness and eventual remission.

Charlotte has stomach cancer but pushed through it despite the odds not being in her favor. Without being in the hospital with chemo treatment Charlotte relied on pain killers/medicine; somehow this allowed her to be in remission

What is the real reason behind Constantine's firing?

Constantine had baby out of wedlock with a black man, but the baby, Lulabelle, is white, causing her to be shunned by the white and black community. Since Constantine cannot handle any of this, she gives Lulabelle up for adoption at the age of 4. Many years later, once Lulabelle is grown, she finds herself looking for her mother a the Phelan house during a DAR meeting. Lulabelle offends Mrs. Phelan causing the latter to kick out and banned the former from Mississippi. Upon unemployment, Constantine went with her daughter back to Illinois, where she died 3 weeks later.

What event gets the white women of Jackson to start to read Help?

Dennis James on the WLBT-TV local Jackson show gives a book review of Help and says that the book could be about maids in Jackson

What is one of Hilly's only redeeming qualities?

Her children like her.-Maddie Stein

What document in Skeeter's satchel does Hilly read?

Hilly reads the booklet of Jim Crow laws in Skeeter's satchel

Why does Leroy Jackson lose his job?

Hilly told her husband, named William, about what Minny did with the pie; Mr. Holbrook told Leroy's boss to fire Leroy. Leroy's boss told him that Mr. Holbrook said that Minny is the reason why he is getting fired.

When does Leroy behave less violently towards Minny? What does she fear if he discovers the book?

Leroy behaves less violently towards Minny when she is pregnant. She feels that he will kill her if he finds out about the book.

The assassination of what major figures terrifies Minny and Aibileen?

Medgar Evers, the Field Secretary of NAACP killed by the KKK

Minny thinks that Celia is an alcoholic? What is the truth behind Celia's strange behavior?

Minny always sees Celia acting strange, such as wandering around upstairs in the empty bedrooms for no reason and lying still in bed all the time. Minny thinks Celia is a drunk because she sees Celia drinking from bottles of brown liquid in one of the empty bedrooms thinking its beer. in actuality, it is a concoction made of molasses and water (catch tonic- a supposed remedy for women who have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term)

Who convinces Skeeter to take the job in NYC? What's the reasoning that person gives?

Minny convinces Skeeter to take the NYC job, saying that Skeeter has "done burned ever bride there is" (Stockett 424).

According to Mister Johnny, why will he and Miss Celia never fire Minny?

Mister Johnny and Miss Celia will never fire Minny because if it weren't for Minny supporting Celia through her miscarriage Celia would have left Johnny out of shame and guilt.

Who said the following: "Don't you let him cheapen you."

Mrs. Phelan said this to Skeeter in reference to Stuart.

According to Miss Hester, why will she never fire Flora Lou?

Ms. Hester forces Flora Lou to wash her hands in bleach, because she thinks all black people are "dirty". She does not fire Flora Lou because she doesn't want this fact to be spread around.

What is ironic about Miss Leefolt insisting that Mae Mobley get placed in another teacher's class?

Ms. Leefolt obviously wants Mae Mobley to be raised as a racist, and Mae Mobley's teacher, Ms. Taylor, is a very extreme racist. Therefore, Ms. Leefolt switching Mae Mobley out of the racist class is ironic, especially because Mr. and Ms. Leefolt do not realize that it is actually Aibileen who has been telling Mae Mobley the bad truth of segregation.

What is the real reason Miss Lou Anne always wears long sleeves?

Ms. Lou Anne always wears long sleeves because she suffers with depression and has tried to commit suicide or has cut herself before

According to Miss Lou Anne, why will she never fire Louvenia?

Ms. Lou Anne will never fire Louvenia because Louvenia has helped her get through tough depression- "she's the only reason I can get out of bed sometimes" (Stockett 417).

Who wins Minny's pie for Miss Hilly during the Benefit?

Ms. Walters/Hilly's mom nominates Hilly to win Minny's pie at the Benefit.

What happens between Hilly and Skeeter that finally destroys their friendship?

Multiple things lead up to this moment, such as the Jim Crow Laws, toilet ad in the newspaper, and Hilly kicking Skeeter out of bridge club/Junior League editor. However the final event is when Hilly storms into Skeeters house accusing Skeeter of writing the book and saying she will sue her for it. Hilly also says she will tell her mother on her and then Stuart. In addition to that, Hilly says she has Lou Anne all set up to fire Louvenia, threatens the safety of Aibileen's job, and threatens the safety of Minny.

Where does the story take place?

Niceville, Mississippi (made up town)

Who is Ross? What's his relationship like with Mae Mobley?

Ross is Ms. Leefolt's baby son, he has a positive relationship with Mae Mobley (they play together and get along well); Ross listens to Mae Mobley so Aibileen hopes Ross will learns her lessons that way

What are the aliases used in the book Help?

Sarah Ross (Aibileen), Gertrude Black (Minny), Anonymous (Skeeter)

As Skeeter's mother becomes sicker, what list does she start to make?

She starts to make the "Do Not Wear" list: a list of Skeeter's clothes that should not be worn

What is Skeeter's opinion of Hilly's separate bathrooms initiative?

Skeeter does not approve of Hilly's separate bathroom initiative. Readers can tell she thinks it is rude and degrading towards African Americans.

How does Skeeter's style change at the end of the book? How does Stuart feel about it?

Skeeter starts to dress a little more risque for the time period; short skirts/dresses, long hair etc. Stuart does not approve and is afraid that his parents, particularly his mother, will be offended.

Without the book, what does Skeeter think her future would be like?

Skeeter thinks she would be spending time playing bridge on Mondays, going to League meetings on Thursdays, and turning in the newsletter. She would be spending this time with people she has grown apart from due to differing views on race, equality, and acceptable lifestyles. Then she would be going on a date Friday nights with Stuart, a man who did not believe in her racial views or respect her sexuality/ability to express herself. In all, Skeeter would have been silencing her own voice and ignored the injustice occurring all around her. She would dress to Stuart's standards and never write about her views on racial equality, ultimately limiting herself to an unfulfilled life.

What detail is included in Help as protection for the maids and Skeeter?

The "Terrible Awful" as Minny calls it: the incident in which Minny put her crap in a pie with vanilla extract and gave it to Hilly as revenge

After her conversation with Lou Anne, what does Skeeter realize the true message of her book is?

The message is that people are people and not much separates people. Barriers such as race and prejudice are imaginary and aren't important at all.