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Kate Chopin's "Desiree’s Baby" Review

Answer the following questions about Kate Chopin's "Desiree's Baby."

1. What does Armand do with the love letters from Desiree?

  1. He reads them aloud to his friends and mocks Desiree.
  2. He keeps them in a special keepsake box.
  3. He throws them down a well.
  4. He burns them.


2. How is Armand's behavior changing as the story unfolds?

  1. He is punishing the slaves more and more with severe beatings.
  2. He is embarrassed by Desiree because she gained weight with the pregnancy.
  3. He is sleeping more because the baby keeps him up at night.
  4. He is becoming less strict on the slaves.


3. Which line below suggests the true cause of the baby's appearance?

  1. "...his mother...belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery."
  2. "Some weeks later there was a curious scene enacted at L'Abri."
  3. "He thought Almighty God had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him."
  4. "My mother, they tell me I am not white."


4. Why is Madame Valmonde shocked when she sees the baby?

  1. The baby looked as if it were not in good health.
  2. The baby has grown a great deal in a short time.
  3. The baby has dark skin color.
  4. The baby would not stop crying.


5. What does Armand learn about his parents?

  1. His parents adopted him as a child.
  2. His parents were originally French.
  3. His father was of mixed decent.
  4. His mother was of mixed decent.


6. Read the passage below.

"He thought Almighty God had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him; and felt, somehow, that he was paying Him back in kind when he stabbed thus into his wife's soul. Moreover he no longer loved her, because of the unconcious injury she had brought upon his home and his name."

What words convey Armand's attitude about Desiree after he finds out his baby is not white?

  1. astonished, afraid, and worried
  2. cold, distant, and cruel
  3. disbelieving, angry, and in denial
  4. uncaring, neutral, and unbothered


7. Read the passage below.

"He was reminded that she was nameless. What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?"

What does this mean?

  1. Armand doesn't like Desiree because she is adopted and doesn't know her true identity.
  2. Desiree comes from people of low class.
  3. Armand knows that Desiree was adopted as a child, and he knows that he can give her a better life than she had before.
  4. Desiree had a baby before they were married. The child is nameless.


8. Read the quote below.

"My mother, they tell me I am not white. Armand has told me I am not white. For God's sake tell them it is not true. You must know it is not true. I shall die. I must die. I cannot be so unhappy, and live."

  1. humiliated
  2. confused
  3. proud
  4. understanding


9. What do you believe the author's purpose is in writing "Desiree's Baby"?

  1. to argue that slavery is not a bad system when the owners are nice
  2. to prove that women need to have more options than a bad marriage
  3. to illustrate the hypocrisy of racism and lack of opportunities for women and blacks
  4. to show the importance of pure blood and why interracial relationships are wrong


10. How does Armand learn of his heritage?

  1. His slave tells him.
  2. He reads it in the Louisiana news.
  3. He finds a letter from his mother to his father.
  4. Desiree finds out and tells him.


11. To whom is the baby's cursed race attributed?

  1. Armand
  2. Desiree
  3. Madame Valmonde
  4. Zandrine


12. What is the main conflict in the short story?

  1. Desiree has to choose between her two children.
  2. Desiree gives birth to a child that is blind.
  3. Desiree gives birth to a child who is of mixed heritage.
  4. Desiree wants to have a child, but her husband does not.


13. Why is "Desiree's Baby," the title of the short story, significant?

  1. Desiree had the baby out of wedlock with someone else.
  2. Armand denies the child; therefore, it is solely Desiree's child.
  3. The child doesn't have a name, so they call it Desiree's baby.
  4. Armand loves the child, and wants to keep Desiree and the baby safe from harm.