View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is PG County?

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

3. Coats quotes that sixty percent of all young black men who drop out of high school will:

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

5. To whom is the memoir addressed?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Why did the author's mother encourage him to write?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When the killer of Michael Brown was set free, Samori (the author's son) was overwrought with anger and sorrow. The author could not bring himself to console his son, although he did sit with him as Samori grieved. Why did Coates find himself unwilling to console his son? Why were things "not going to be okay"? What lesson was Coates trying to teach his son in that moment?

Essay Topic 2

The author spends a great deal of time describing his Mecca, Howard University, as an escape from the fear that once plagued his life as a child on the streets of Baltimore. Keeping in mind that Howard is a private university that not every student can afford, what other Meccas might exist in America that could parallel the author's experience? Are there other places or experiences that could provide a similar bond of safety and community for the black student? If so, what? Is the author's Mecca a physical place or a state of mind? Explain your answer citing examples from the author's work.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the author's encounter with his unnamed French friend in Paris. What reservations did Coates have throughout the entire day? Why was he uncomfortable having his friend pay for the meal? What past experiences might have prompted him to insist that his friend walk out of the restaurant first? Describe what the author means when he says he feels he missed out on part of the experience because his eyes "were blindfolded by fear."

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,277 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample