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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. Whom does the author blame for the death of Prince Jones?

3. What does the author remember about Manhattan?

4. According to senator John C. Calhoun, "The two great divisions of society are not the rich and the poor, but _____" what?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What role has fear played in Samori's (the author's son) life?

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

3. Why did the author move to New York?

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

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

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

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

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

9. How did the author's trip to Paris affect his view of what it means to live in a black body?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

The author spends a great deal of time describing his Mecca, Howard University, as an escape from the fear that once plagued his life as a child on the streets of Baltimore. Keeping in mind that Howard is a private university that not every student can afford, what other Meccas might exist in America that could parallel the author's experience? Are there other places or experiences that could provide a similar bond of safety and community for the black student? If so, what? Is the author's Mecca a physical place or a state of mind? Explain your answer citing examples from the author's work.

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