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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 is Cornell reading when the school bus stops near his house?

2. What does Mbalia not like to watch?

3. During the cooking competition, how long will Javon Lawrence have to prepare his dish?

4. In "First-Day Fly," how old were you when your mother taught you how to iron?

5. How are sneakers cleaned in "First-Day Fly"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dylan write about his mom and remebering her?

2. What does Ms. Wallace tell Rod that his parents do and where they are?

3. Why does Mbalia dislike watching the news?

4. What do the Trilarkians look like?

5. Who does Fort run into on page 6?

6. In "First-Day Fly," how are sneakers prepared for the first day of school?

7. Who is Noah Nguyen?

8. How does Dylan compare his sister Tabitha to a Nodosaurus or a Stegosaurus?

9. How should jeans be ironed in "First-Day Fly"?

10. When was the term "Black Boy Joy" (2) coined and what does it mean to Mbalia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Big Mac sets up a competition between his grandsons to be held after he dies in “The McCoy Game.” What is Big Mac’s goal for the competition?

Essay Topic 2

Metaphors and similes are figures of speech that are used to make comparisons between things. Metaphors seem to imply an equal comparison, while similes seem to imply a similarity between two things. Do the authors use more metaphors or similes in Black Boy Joy? Do some stories use more metaphors or similes than others? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers comprehend concepts? How does the use of metaphors or similes help readers make the writing more interesting?

Essay Topic 3

Percival moves from Trinidad to the U.S. in "Percival and the Jab." How does he try to change his identity with the move? How and why does Percival strive to fit in in the U.S. and act like an American? How does he learn that he can embrace both cultures? How does that realization affect his identity?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 850 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample