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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

4. As a child, what baffled the author about the nonviolent protests of the civil rights moment?
(a) Violence is illegal.
(b) He had been raised in a violent society.
(c) Kids should not see violent television.
(d) He felt the police should have helped more.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Linda Heywood?

2. Where is Howard University located?

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

4. For how many years were black people enslaved in America?

5. Coats explains that the young men who walk the streets of Baltimore loud and rude do so because:

Short Essay Questions

1. What influence did Malcom X have on the author as a young man?

2. What conflicting thoughts does the author have about the civil rights movement of the 1960s?

3. Why did the author's son experience such extreme grief when Michael Brown's killer was set free?

4. What is the symbolism behind the author's son's name?

5. How does the author compare his childhood to that of his son?

6. How does research and study affect the author as a young man?

7. How does the author use poetry to express his thoughts?

8. How important were books to the author as he was growing up?

9. How did fear shape the author's childhood?

10. What is the author's interpretation of "The Dream"?

(see the answer keys)

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