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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. What does the author witness while researching a story on the history of segregation in Chicago?

2. What was the outcome of the trial on page 112?

3. What did the author notice about white children in Manhattan?

4. According to the author, some black people justify the destruction of black bodies for the sake of:

5. What emotion did the author experience when sitting in the public garden in Paris?

Short Essay Questions

1. How, does Coats write, have his eyes been damaged by what he has seen?

2. Why did the thought of encountering the Prince George's County patrol officer frighten the author?

3. According to the author, how does the fear of losing one's life promote violence?

4. According to the author, how do the behaviors of police departments reflect American values?

5. Why are black children told to be "twice as good"?

6. How does the author compare the flight of Abraham Brian to the fear of the modern black man?

7. What impact does the death of Prince Jones have on the author?

8. According to Coats, how have the American legal system and the banking industry conspired together to create the illusion known as "The Dream"?

9. How does the author contrast black and white societies?

10. What in the significance of the author's vision of Prince Jones in the museum?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While at Howard University, the author was influenced by such poets such as Robert Hayden and Ethelbert Miller. Their lyrical influence is still evident even in his memoir. How does the author's style of writing and choice of words reflect a poetic influence? Be specific in the examples you give. What are the potential benefits of using poetic language in a non-fiction work such as "Between the World and Me"? What are the potential drawbacks of using figurative, rather than literal language?

Essay Topic 2

The moment Samori realized the death of Michael Brown would not be avenged; the instant that a four-year-old (Dr.) Mable Jones was pulled away from the front of the bus; the split-second the author realized through the medium of television that there was another world outside of his inner-city Baltimore - what do all of these points in time have in common? What one lesson did each person learn in his or her critical moment? How might other black Americans have faced similar racial epiphanies?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the different societal views of "The American Dream," or "The "Dream," as the author calls it. What are potential material, social and emotional advantages of living "The "Dream"? Why does Coates warn his son (and others) against the pursuit of "The Dream"?

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