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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which writer inspired the author as a young man?
(a) Maya Angelou.
(b) Alex Haley.
(c) Malcolm X.
(d) James Baldwin.

2. How did the author's father react when the author threatened his 9th grade teacher?
(a) His father confronted the teacher.
(b) His father called the police.
(c) His father beat him.
(d) His father confronted the principal.

3. How did the author's father discipline him?
(a) With a belt.
(b) By slapping his face.
(c) In time-out.
(d) By taking his phone.

4. How does the author describe Malcolm X?
(a) Fierce, violent, and wild.
(b) Strong, ethical, and powerful.
(c) Controlled, intelligent, and beyond fear.
(d) Rebellious, irrational, and impulsive.

5. 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 define culture.
(d) To form a hierarchy in society.

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

7. What is "the Yard"?
(a) A communal green space at Howard University when students gather.
(b) A strip of green grass near the White House where protesters gather.
(c) A club in downtown Atlanta.
(d) An area near the docks in Virginia where students gather.

8. Who were the first white people the author knew on a personal level?
(a) Hippies.
(b) Reporters.
(c) His editors.
(d) Religious zealots.

9. What sense does the author describe experiencing as he watched television as a child?
(a) Hope.
(b) Injustice.
(c) Jealousy.
(d) Confusion.

10. What is PG County?
(a) A poet from Long Island.
(b) Princeton-Gordon County, Washington, DC.
(c) Price Goldwin County, MA.
(d) Prince George's County, MD.

11. According to the author, what do many of his black contemporaries have in common?
(a) They are proud of their heritage.
(b) They are unhappy with their lives.
(c) They are searching for a better future.
(d) They have never known their fathers.

12. How does the author describe the classroom?
(a) A palace of thought.
(b) The road to freedom.
(c) A jail of other people's interests.
(d) An open, unending forum of ideas.

13. According to the author, it is important that whether one wins or loses the fight, who should be by your side?
(a) Pride.
(b) Family.
(c) Friends.
(d) God.

14. Who is the Tolstoy of the Zulus, according to Coats?
(a) Medici.
(b) Wiley.
(c) Tolstoy.
(d) Nzinga.

15. Whom did the girl with the long dreads love?
(a) The Author.
(b) Prince Jones.
(c) Malcom X.
(d) Maya Angelou.

Short Answer Questions

1. What type of work did the author's father do?

2. Which name symbolically means "The Struggle"?

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

4. What difference does the author see between his childhood and that of his son?

5. Who said, "Either I can beat him, or the police"?

(see the answer keys)

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