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

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author, what is the purpose of defining races of people?

2. Where did the author meet the mother of his son?

3. Where does the author begin his memoir?

4. What hobby did the author pursue while at Howard University?

5. What field did the author pursue after he left Howard University?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. According to the author, how have American police departments been given the right to destroy black bodies without the fear of recrimination?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author speaks of the complexity of human society. Describe the contrast between the reality of his Baltimore neighborhood with that of the American suburbia he viewed on TV as a child. How might this contrast have affected his personal philosophy?

Essay Topic 2

Amidst multiple examples of police brutality, the author mentions an effort on behalf of some police departments to improve relations with black Americans by diversifying their staff, utilizing body and patrol car cameras and offering sensitivity training. In the same paragraph, he points out that there remains a significant distance between the police and those they are appointed to protect. Does diversity, sensitivity training and the use of cameras allow the citizens of America to build trust or dissociate themselves from the police force? Is is possible to overcome this dissociation of racism between authority and citizenship. If so, how?

Essay Topic 3

The author often refers to white people as those who "believe themselves white." He also speaks often of dissociation. How might the concept of race and dissociation be related in America today? Is race a genetic or social construct?

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