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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 kind of weapon does Richard hide under his pillow?

2. Where does RIchard want to move to?

3. What is the name of the book the school teacher is reading?

4. Where does Nathan work as a night porter?

5. Who does Richard choose to live with?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens between the white security guard and Richard in Chapter 10?

2. What mistake does Granny make at the end of Chapter 4?

3. How does Richard cut his ear?

4. What does Richard do to raise money to move away from the South?

5. Why does Richard stop selling the newspaper?

6. Why can Richard not keep his promise to his mother not to fight white children?

7. How does Richard respond when his principal demands that he reads his speech for graduation?

8. How does Granny injure herself in Chapter 5?

9. What does Richard eat for his meals in Jackson?

10. What does Wright think about his writing career in retrospect?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why did Richard develop sympathies towards the Communist Party? How did Wright view Communist ideas later on in life?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss differences between the novel and autobiographical formats. What are the main elements of a novel? What are the main elements of an autobiography? What can Wright not express in an autobiography that he can in a novel? How does Wright use these limitations to his advantage?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the whites oppression of black people.

1) In what way could it be said that it was to the whites' benefit that they kept the black people down?

2) How much of the oppression was pure racism and how much was it due to fear?

3) In what way could it be said that the equality has benefited society?

(see the answer keys)

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