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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did the author have to learn from his son's mother?

2. What regret does the author have about the incident with his son and the escalator?

3. Why does the author apologize to his son?

4. According to Solzhenitsyn, "To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he's doing is _____ " what?

5. What Civil War battlefield did the author visit with his son and nephew?

Short Essay Questions

1. What impact does the death of Prince Jones have on the author?

2. What reasons does the author give for the anger of the man who was having his home repossessed?

3. What lesson does the mother of the boy on page 112 (Lucia McBath) try to impart to the author's son?

4. Why does the author worry that others will tell his son that the lessons he is trying to teach are an unnecessary part of the past?

5. What does the author mean by every country having an "above" and a "below"?

6. What is the significance of the author's description of the slave burial plot in southern Manhattan?

7. What reasons does the author give for the woman feeling validated in pushing his son off the escalator?

8. According to the author, how is racism experienced through city planning and real estate?

9. According to the author, how do the behaviors of police departments reflect American values?

10. How does the author compare the flight of Abraham Brian to the fear of the modern black man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author speaks of the complexity of human society. Describe the contrast between the reality of his Baltimore neighborhood with that of the American suburbia he viewed on TV as a child. How might this contrast have affected his personal philosophy?

Essay Topic 2

The author often refers to white people as those who "believe themselves white." He also speaks often of dissociation. How might the concept of race and dissociation be related in America today? Is race a genetic or social construct?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the different societal views of "The American Dream," or "The "Dream," as the author calls it. What are potential material, social and emotional advantages of living "The "Dream"? Why does Coates warn his son (and others) against the pursuit of "The Dream"?

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This section contains 1,343 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample