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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How old was the author when his son was born?
(a) 24.
(b) 18.
(c) 21.
(d) 30.

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. What did the girl with the long dreads teach the author?
(a) Poetry.
(b) Compassion.
(c) Distrust.
(d) French.

9. Where did the author meet the mother of his son?
(a) New York.
(b) Baltimore.
(c) Atlanta.
(d) The Mecca.

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

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

12. According to the author, slavery transfigured black bodies into:
(a) Hollow shells of former men.
(b) Beasts of burden.
(c) Animals.
(d) Sugar, tobacco, cotton and gold.

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

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

15. What is the "one-drop" rule?
(a) One drop of liquor makes an alcoholic.
(b) Having one white parent (or ancestor) entitles a person to be white.
(c) Having one black parent (or ancestor) makes a person black.
(d) One drop of violence ruins a peaceful gathering.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author, who controls the streets of Baltimore?

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

3. What view does the author have of the afterlife?

4. What acclaimed history book did Chancellor William write?

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

(see the answer keys)

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