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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. According to the author, how much was the slave population worth at the start of the Civil War?

2. How did the death of Prince Jones affect the author emotionally?

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

4. According to the author, what part of his body has suffered the most?

5. How old was the author's son when Coats first took him along on an interview?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did the thought of encountering the Prince George's County patrol officer frighten the author?

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

3. 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?

4. What revelation does the author have about police officers and authority figures after the September 11 attacks?

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

6. How does the author contrast black and white societies?

7. What reasons does the author give for Prince Jones' behavior prior to his death?

8. Why has the author been too afraid to encourage his son to stand up for his rights?

9. According to Coats, how have the American legal system and the banking industry conspired together to create the illusion known as "The Dream"?

10. According to the author, how does the fear of losing one's life promote violence?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author states that when he was troubled or afraid, “I could not retreat, as did so many, into the church and its mysteries.” (page 28) How did Coates use academic study as a balm to soothe the chaos surrounding his life? In the same section he also says that he had “no sense that any just God was on my side”. Whom or what did the author use in lieu of a spiritual guide? Did he find a sense of inner peace with his books? Explain your answer citing examples from the memoir.

Essay Topic 2

The essential question the author poses in this open letter to his son is "How do I live free in this black body?" Does Coates answer this question, and if so, how? What type of freedom is the author describing?

Essay Topic 3

Do Coates' words empower all black Americans? The author writes primarily about the experiences of black American men until the final section, where he interviews the mother of Prince Jones. Why might Coates have focused on the aspects of being a black man in America, as opposed to incorporating the struggle of the black woman as well? Since his memoir is an open letter to his son, why might he have made the decision to focus on the more masculine aspects of black America? Would the text have been as effective, or more effective, if he had incorporated more feminine experiences?

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