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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What did the author's father collect?
(a) Art.
(b) Cigars.
(c) Guns.
(d) Books.

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

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

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

6. At what age does the author remember witnessing his first street fight?
(a) 18.
(b) 12.
(c) Five.
(d) Ten.

7. What essential question does the author pose in his memoir?
(a) When will America be one?
(b) Who am I?
(c) How do I live free in this black body?
(d) How can all people groups coexist?

8. What field did the author pursue after he left Howard University?
(a) Journalism.
(b) Bookselling.
(c) Archaeology.
(d) Music.

9. What does the author tell his son about promises?
(a) A man's word is his bond.
(b) No promise is unbreakable.
(c) A promise is worth its weight in gold.
(d) A promise lasts forever.

10. The author admires Malcolm X because he never:
(a) Lied.
(b) Ran.
(c) Gave up.
(d) Hesitated.

11. What difference does the author see between his childhood and that of his son?
(a) He had to learn to fight and survive in a more violent environment.
(b) His son's friends are much wilder than his were.
(c) He had more friends than his son does now.
(d) His son is living in "The Dream."

12. What does the author describe as the "enemy of art, courageous thinking and honest writing"?
(a) Religion.
(b) The Dream.
(c) Public education.
(d) Science.

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author, when Lincoln spoke of the "government of the people," to whom was he addressing?

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

3. What sorts of toys was the author not allowed to have as a child?

4. Whom did the girl with the long dreads love?

5. What did the author's mother urge him to do when he was in trouble at school?

(see the answer keys)

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