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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is "The Mecca" that the author describes to his son?
(a) His poetry notebook.
(b) His father's collection of books.
(c) His mother's collection of vintage vinyl.
(d) The culture of the student body at Howard University.

2. According to the author, America believes itself to be:
(a) Peaceful.
(b) Pure.
(c) Exceptional.
(d) Understanding.

3. As a child, what baffled the author about the nonviolent protests of the civil rights moment?
(a) He felt the police should have helped more.
(b) Kids should not see violent television.
(c) He had been raised in a violent society.
(d) Violence is illegal.

4. Coats explains that the young men who walk the streets of Baltimore loud and rude do so because:
(a) It gives them a sense of security and power.
(b) They are uneducated and don't know any better.
(c) They are uncultured and wild.
(d) It is their way of being friendly.

5. According to the author, navigating the streets of Baltimore is like a:
(a) Warzone.
(b) Playground.
(c) Series of trick questions.
(d) Battlefield.

6. Whom does the author describe as "the God I never had"?
(a) His wife.
(b) His mother.
(c) His son.
(d) His soul.

7. For whom was the author's son named?
(a) Malcom X.
(b) Robert Hayden.
(c) Samori Touré.
(d) Martin Luther King.

8. What advantages has the author's son had growing up?
(a) Less racism, the Internet and a world culture.
(b) Wealth and private schools.
(c) A black president, social networks, omnipresent media and black culture.
(d) A safer neighborhood, better schools and more freedom.

9. The author views the school systems and the streets as:
(a) Two warring nations.
(b) The different universes.
(c) Opposite ends of a pole.
(d) Arms of the same beast.

10. What realization did the author make about death in the sixth grade?
(a) Death is inevitable.
(b) Death can occur without warning.
(c) Death does not wait.
(d) Death chases after the living.

11. How did the author and his friends illegally obtain alcohol when they were underage?
(a) They would steal it from their parents.
(b) They would steal it from the liquor store.
(c) They would make corn liquor at home in the bathtub.
(d) There were men of legal drinking age who would purchase it for them for a fee.

12. According to the author, there is no difference between his son and which murdered 17-year-old?
(a) Jordan Davis.
(b) Malcom X.
(c) Trayvon Martin.
(d) Prince Jones.

13. What did the author's parents teach him about religion?
(a) They rejected all religions.
(b) They were devout Baptists.
(c) He should find his own spiritual path.
(d) They were devout Muslims.

14. How old was Tamir Rice when he was shot?
(a) 21.
(b) 12.
(c) Two.
(d) Six.

15. According to the author, who controls the streets of Baltimore?
(a) The students.
(b) The parents.
(c) The police.
(d) The crews.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did the author learn from television as a young boy?

2. What poet inspired the author while at Howard University?

3. Where is Howard University located?

4. Who is the Tolstoy of the Zulus, according to Coats?

5. How does the author describe Malcolm X?

(see the answer keys)

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