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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 did the dead boy's mother decide to do after the trial in the chapter "The Dream"?

2. To where did the author move to in 2001?

3. What does the author imagine white parents might tell their children?

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

5. Whom does the author describe as the "below of the country"?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the author, how is racism experienced through city planning and real estate?

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

3. Why is the author's fear of his son seeing him arrested greater than his fear of being arrested?

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

5. What reasons does the author give for Prince Jones' behavior prior to his death?

6. How does the death of the boy on page 112 (Jordan Davis) reinforce the author's theory that the "Dream" is dangerous?

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

8. How is the author disappointed by the lack of education during his Civil War battlefield tour?

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

10. Why did the author move to New York?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The essential question the author poses in this open letter to his son is "How do I live free in this black body?" Does Coates answer this question, and if so, how? What type of freedom is the author describing?

Essay Topic 2

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."

Essay Topic 3

The author speaks often of a body that is easily broken. The theme of impending violence is an undercurrent that runs throughout the memoir. Is the author referring solely to physical violence or to a deeper emotional state of being? Based off of the author's observations, which might be more damaging in the long run - the threat of physical violence or a constant undercurrent of emotional upheaval?

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