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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What question does the author pose about assaulting an officer of the law?
(a) Should offenders of assault be punished or rehabilitated?
(b) When violence begets violence, when does the circle end?
(c) Should assaulting an officer be a capital offense?
(d) Should assault be grounds for a broken body?

2. How old was the author's son when Coats first took him along on an interview?
(a) Six.
(b) 20.
(c) 13.
(d) 18.

3. Why does the author fear the PG County police?
(a) PG County officers have a reputation for being violent with black men.
(b) He offended the mayor of PG County in a newspaper article.
(c) PG County laws are more strict than other areas in Maryland.
(d) He was in the PG County jail as a teenager.

4. What threats were made against the author when his son was pushed off the escalator?
(a) He was threatened with a beating.
(b) He was threatened with arrest.
(c) He was threatened with a gun.
(d) None.

5. According to the author, what is the problem with defining a race?
(a) There are too many variations to categorize.
(b) Race is a cultural - not genetic - term.
(c) Races shift based off of who is the "beneath" and who is the "above."
(d) There is more intermarriage in a global society.

6. To where did the author move to in 2001?
(a) Atlanta.
(b) Los Angeles.
(c) New York.
(d) Chicago.

7. When the author sees a police officer, he automatically thinks:
(a) He is not at fault.
(b) Nothing.
(c) Someone is trying to protect him.
(d) Something is wrong.

8. What regret does the author have about the friend he made in France?
(a) He doesn't remember his friend's name.
(b) He didn't remember to write down his friend's phone number.
(c) They haven't kept in touch since he has returned to America.
(d) He was so blinded by past fears he couldn't enjoy the mutual friendship.

9. What emotion did the author experience when sitting in the public garden in Paris?
(a) Loneliness.
(b) Anxiety.
(c) Fear.
(d) Joy.

10. According to the author, "In America, it is traditional to destroy the _____" what?
(a) Victim.
(b) Past.
(c) Black body.
(d) Soul.

11. Where was the memorial service for Prince Jones held?
(a) Harvard University.
(b) Arlington Cemetery.
(c) Howard University.
(d) The White House.

12. Who was Abraham Brian?
(a) A free black man who left his home to escape the threat of slavery.
(b) A white congressman who lobbied for the rights of free black men.
(c) A slave who led the underground railroad.
(d) A black soldier for the Confederacy.

13. According to the author, some black people justify the destruction of black bodies for the sake of:
(a) Preservation of order.
(b) Keeping the police away.
(c) Controlling the population.
(d) Fear.

14. What regret does the author have about the incident with his son and the escalator?
(a) That a pleasant evening was ruined.
(b) That the woman was not punished for shoving a child.
(c) That his son learned about violence.
(d) That his son might have seen him arrested.

15. What unique point does the author make about black Americans in France?
(a) They are seen as equals by all people.
(b) They are seen as wealthy capitalists.
(c) They are disliked by everyone for being American, not black.
(d) They were never slaves in France, but they were still black.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did the author want to return to Paris with his son?

2. What did the dead boy's mother decide to do after the trial in the chapter "The Dream"?

3. What does the author recall always having, even when times were hard?

4. Why was the author's son pushed off the escalator?

5. According to the author, what part of his body has suffered the most?

(see the answer keys)

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