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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. How many years pass before the author decided to travel overseas with the mother of his son?

2. The dead boy's mother channeled her anger into _____.

3. To where did the mother of the author's son travel when she turned 30?

4. What did the city of Manhattan try to build over a slave burial site?

5. How did the author react to his son being pushed off the escalator?

Short Essay Questions

1. What revelation does the author have about police officers and authority figures after the September 11 attacks?

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

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

4. Why does the author worry that others will tell his son that the lessons he is trying to teach are an unnecessary part of the past?

5. What role has fear played in Samori's (the author's son) life?

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

7. What does the author mean by every country having an "above" and a "below"?

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

9. What reasons does the author give for the anger of the man who was having his home repossessed?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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"?

Essay Topic 2

Do Coates' words empower all black Americans? The author writes primarily about the experiences of black American men until the final section, where he interviews the mother of Prince Jones. Why might Coates have focused on the aspects of being a black man in America, as opposed to incorporating the struggle of the black woman as well? Since his memoir is an open letter to his son, why might he have made the decision to focus on the more masculine aspects of black America? Would the text have been as effective, or more effective, if he had incorporated more feminine experiences?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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This section contains 1,294 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample