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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. The author believes that when the body is shattered, what happens?

2. Whom did the author shove when his son was pushed off the escalator?

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

4. What did the author notice as he walked the streets of Paris for the first time?

5. How did the Internet affect the author's writing?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. How did the author's trip to Paris affect his view of what it means to live in a black body?

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

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

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

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

8. Why has the author been too afraid to encourage his son to stand up for his rights?

9. What lesson does the mother of the boy on page 112 (Lucia McBath) try to impart to the author's son?

10. What reasons does the author give for the woman feeling validated in pushing his son off the escalator?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare how the events of September 11, 2001 affected the author with how a majority of Americans reacted to the tragedy at the time. Did the attacks eventually unify or divide the nation? Did the author feel a part of that movement? Why or why not? In your opinion, does his opinion represent that of a majority of black Americans?

Essay Topic 2

The author states that when he was troubled or afraid, “I could not retreat, as did so many, into the church and its mysteries.” (page 28) How did Coates use academic study as a balm to soothe the chaos surrounding his life? In the same section he also says that he had “no sense that any just God was on my side”. Whom or what did the author use in lieu of a spiritual guide? Did he find a sense of inner peace with his books? Explain your answer citing examples from the memoir.

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."

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This section contains 1,478 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample