Curated set · answers marked
What is the house number and street name where Sethe and her family reside at the start of Beloved, a location noted for being haunted by a "spiteful" ghost?
Rationale
The novel opens with the famous line "124 was spiteful," which sets the tone for the haunted atmosphere of Sethe's home at 124 Bluestone Road in Cincinnati, Ohio.
*Quiz Question — Beloved by Toni Morrison*
What does Sethe do to her children when the slave catchers arrive at the house known as 124, and what drives her to take this action?
A) She hides them in the barn to keep them from being captured. B) She tries to kill all of her children, thinking death is better than a life of slavery. C) She sends them north with a conductor on the Underground Railroad. D) She turns them over to the slave catchers in exchange for her own freedom.
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: When schoolteacher and the slave catchers show up at 124, Sethe takes her children to the woodshed and tries to kill them all. She manages to kill her baby daughter (who later becomes the ghost known as Beloved), convinced that death — and the freedom it symbolizes — is far better than allowing her children to face the horrors of slavery at Sweet Home.