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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Since Negroes have been in this country, Baldwin writes that their one devastating gain was:
(a) Slavery.
(b) Emancipation.
(c) Abolition.
(d) Colonization.

2. What novel does Baldwin compare Uncle Tom's Cabin to?
(a) Native Son.
(b) Black Boy.
(c) Little Women.
(d) Othello.

3. Why did Baldwin think the Negro vote was so easily bought and sold in the 1940s?
(a) Because Blacks did care about politics.
(b) Because Blacks were in need of money.
(c) Because Whites has a great influence in Black politics.
(d) Because it was treated with little respect.

4. What does Baldwin claim Jews and Negroes must use in order to be accepted in the 1940s and 1950s?
(a) Every weapon possible.
(b) Knowledge of American society.
(c) Religion.
(d) American History.

5. What is not one of the two legends of the "white Gentile" as described by Baldwin?
(a) He treats the Negro like a slave.
(b) He has taught the Negro to be inferior.
(c) He has divided the Jews and Negroes.
(d) He has divided Negro men and women.

6. According to Baldwin, both the Negro and the Jew are characterized as:
(a) Cheerful.
(b) Religious.
(c) Jobless.
(d) Helpless.

7. What stereotypical trait is shared by the female and male leads in the film Carmen Jones?
(a) Light colored skin.
(b) Dark colored skin.
(c) Fine hair.
(d) Blue eyes.

8. Who played the lead male role in the film Carmen Jones?
(a) Harry Belafonte.
(b) Sidney Poitier.
(c) Joe Adams.
(d) Sammy Davis, Jr.

9. According to Baldwin, how does the book Native Son obliterate the good will of the people as a whole?
(a) The good will of the people is obliterated by the story that stereotypical images share laudatory and heinous qualities with the best possible traits coming to the surface for white consumption.
(b) The good will of the people is obliterated by the story that Negroes are always angry at white men.
(c) The good will of the people is obliterated by the story of hatred and the idea that Negroes can only become validated if they become more like white men.
(d) The good will of the people is obliterated by the story that white men only like subservient black men and women.

10. According to Baldwin, if black faces cannot be made white then what other way can they be changed in order to be less offensive to white society?
(a) Light.
(b) Blank.
(c) White.
(d) Clear.

11. In what year was the all-Black production of Carmen Jones released?
(a) 1954.
(b) 1955.
(c) 1951.
(d) 1957.

12. What point of view does Baldwin use in this essay?
(a) First person limited narrative.
(b) Second person narrative.
(c) First person narrative.
(d) Third person narrative.

13. How does Baldwin describe the relationship between the Negroes and the Jews in Harlem?
(a) Amicable.
(b) Unwanted.
(c) Contentious.
(d) Indifferent.

14. What type of accommodations were promised to the Melodeers prior to leaving for Atlanta?
(a) Four to a room.
(b) Dormitory style accommodations.
(c) Two to a room.
(d) One to a room.

15. How does Baldwin describe the American Ideal?
(a) Everyone should reconnect to American history.
(b) Everyone should connect to their cultural identity.
(c) Everyone should be as alike as possible.
(d) Everyone should be as different as possible.

Short Answer Questions

1. What Hollywood studio produced the film Carmen Jones?

2. Who had the money to pay for the Melodeers' accommodations in Atlanta?

3. According to Baldwin, what characteristic does Dorothy Dandridge have that Pearl Bailey lacks?

4. What newspaper rivaled the Amsterdam Star-News in the 1940s?

5. Who is the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin?

(see the answer keys)

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