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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did the author find unique about Howard University?
(a) Everyone was treated as an equal, regardless of race.
(b) The professors spent time outside with the students.
(c) All the students were black, but distinctly unique in culture.
(d) All the students were wealthy, regardless of race.

2. Who said, "Either I can beat him, or the police"?
(a) The author.
(b) The author's father.
(c) The author's grandmother.
(d) The author's mother.

3. According to the author, what is the purpose of defining races of people?
(a) To identify people groups.
(b) To instill a sense of cultural pride.
(c) To form a hierarchy in society.
(d) To define culture.

4. Where does the author begin his memoir?
(a) In a bar.
(b) During a riot.
(c) At an auction.
(d) During an interview.

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

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

7. What surprised the author about the sixteenth and seventeenth century portraits of Africans?
(a) The appeared regal and serene.
(b) The looked ethnically different from African-Americans.
(c) They were drawn in a ravenous, lustful, simian manner.
(d) Their facial features had be Anglicized.

8. What has been the prevalent emotion in the author's life?
(a) Hope.
(b) Anger.
(c) Joy.
(d) Fear.

9. How old is the author's son at the time the memoir is written?
(a) Six.
(b) 15.
(c) Two.
(d) 21.

10. What realization does the author have about his university education?
(a) It was designed to break down myths and reveal the truth about humanity.
(b) He was never going to learn everything he needed to know.
(c) It was going to provide him with the skills to be a great writer.
(d) It was a pointless as his public school education.

11. What bothers the author about artists like Michael Jackson?
(a) He did not finish what he started.
(b) He represents the nonviolent black man.
(c) His lyrics are without meaning.
(d) He used cosmetic surgery to appeal to a white fanbase.

12. What sorts of toys was the author not allowed to have as a child?
(a) Those that used batteries.
(b) Those with white faces.
(c) Anything made by Disney.
(d) Anything that was non-educational.

13. According to the author, upon what has America's progress been built?
(a) Hard work.
(b) Education.
(c) Wealth.
(d) Violence.

14. How did the author's parent's respond to his questions about inequality in the world?
(a) They told him stories of their youth.
(b) They read passages from the bible.
(c) They sent him out on the street.
(d) They referred him to books.

15. What type of work did the author's father do?
(a) Police officer for Baltimore City.
(b) Research librarian at Howard University.
(c) Custodian for Baltimore public schools.
(d) Freelance writer and journalist.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author, America believes itself to be:

2. Whom does the author describe as his "wedding ring"?

3. What advantages has the author's son had growing up?

4. What does the author describe as the "enemy of art, courageous thinking and honest writing"?

5. At what age does the author remember witnessing his first street fight?

(see the answer keys)

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