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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. Whose words does the narrator contemplate as proof that he can have two identities and still be successful?

2. What does the figurine symbolize?

3. The narrator wants Clifton's funeral to focus on which of the following?

4. How does the narrator plan to overcome the white men of the Brotherhood?

5. What is happening in Harlem?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the narrator's funeral oration more moving than if he had planned a speech based according to party guidelines?

2. The narrator says that he has learned that the lack of surprise is a warning. What does he mean?

3. Explain the irony of the figurine owned by Mary.

4. What is the primary problem with the instructions given to the narrator to gather more members?

5. What does Brother Jack really want the narrator to avoid doing?

6. How does Emma's conversation create a sense of foreboding?

7. Why does Brother Jack defend the narrator at this point?

8. What is the significance of the black thread that controls the dancing doll?

9. What epiphany has the narrator experienced regarding his race?

10. What is the narrator's intention in speaking up for the black couple who have been evicted?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Early in the novel, the graduating black boys are deliberately used as cruel sport for the white men at a club. Norton is at the club with all the other white men. Norton does not care about the black boys any more than anyone else does. Therefore, what is his purpose at the college? Explain the things that Mr. Norton and Brother Jack have in common.

Essay Topic 2

The African American people--at whatever geographic location they are found in the novel--seem to have little hope of a future that is equal to the whites in terms of wealth, status, education, or upward mobility. Whether they are in the north or the south, the forces that impede progress have much in common. For example, Norton requires a barely "post-slavery" recipient, that is, someone who needs the help he imagines he is giving, in order for his endeavors to have any meaning. Similarly, numerous philosophers have suggested that we need the poor and downtrodden among us in order to have a subject upon which to practice charity. Discuss several different ways in which this attitude is expressed in the novel. Show what this approach of using a particular group target upon which to practice an ideology accomplishes both for the subject group and for the "charitable" or practicing entity.

Essay Topic 3

Write an analysis of the various locations in which the narrator lives, i.e, the college, Harlem, in his new apartment, and finally in the "hole." Discuss how each location is a reflection of his changing attitude/character.

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