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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Part 2, Sound and the Mainstream, Section 1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What work of literature seizes Ellison's young mind early on?
(a) Black like me.
(b) The Bible.
(c) The Waste Land.
(d) The American Constitution.

2. That Ellison's first novel might win a prestigious award makes him think what?
(a) There is a crisis in the American novel.
(b) The committee has made a huge mistake.
(c) He is chosen only because he is Negro.
(d) He is a brilliant writer.

3. What does Ellison suggest as a subtitle for "Primer for White Folks?"
(a) How-to book for Bigots and Innocents.
(b) Short Course on the American Negro for Those Who "Beat That Boy".
(c) Comprehensive Study of the Unruly Seas of Race.
(d) Method for finding Peace and Harmony among the Races.

4. Who lives on the left of Ellison?
(a) Large family with several sets of infant twins.
(b) Husband and wife who constantly bicker.
(c) Jazz drummer and trumpet player.
(d) Night shift worker who likes Count Bassie.

5. How does Ellison describe the philosopher Kierkegaard in the "Stephen Crane.." essay?
(a) Pinnacle of the romantic poets of the 1950s.
(b) Household god for many contemporary novelists.
(c) Philosopher king who wrecked the castle.
(d) The keeper of Sophocles flame.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Ellison reject the "hard-boiled" novel style of writing?

2. What childhood memory does Ellison draw on to deal with his artistic nemesis?

3. What does Ellison say the "Negro problem" actually is?

4. What book does Hemingway believe all modern American fiction sprang from?

5. Where is the essay "Stephen Crane and the Mainstream of American Fiction" published?

(see the answer key)

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