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

2. How did the author spend most of his time at The Mecca?
(a) Reading and taking notes on black literature and essays.
(b) Listening to and writing poetry.
(c) Absorbing culture and music.
(d) Arguing politics on the Lawn.

3. Where is Howard University located?
(a) Atlanta, GA.
(b) Hampton, VA.
(c) Baltimore, MD.
(d) Washington, D.C.

4. Why does the author feel the interview at the beginning of his memoir was a failure?
(a) No one would comment on his new book.
(b) The interviewer discussed hope for racial peace and equality.
(c) He was insulted by a caller to the radio station.
(d) The interview was cut short.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author, America believes itself to be:

2. Where does the author begin his memoir?

3. What advantages has the author's son had growing up?

4. According to the author, upon what has America's progress been built?

5. Which name symbolically means "The Struggle"?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the author, why is America blind to it's racially defined shortcomings?

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

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

4. According to the author, how has the lack of fathers and father-figures affected black children?

5. What does the author mean when he says the school system and the streets are "two arms of the same beast"?

6. What role did violence play in the author's childhood?

7. What does the author mean when he asks: "How do I live free in this black body?"

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

9. What assumptions does the author make about PG County (Prince George's County) police officers and why?

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

(see the answer keys)

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