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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 does Richard's mother force him to do with the dead kitten?

2. Who moves in with the family in this chapter?

3. What kind of church does Richard attend with his mother?

4. What does Richard pawn in this chapter?

5. What does Richard's mother arm him with to attack the boys?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Pease and Reynolds treat Richard at the optical factory?

2. What job does Richard find in Chapter 5?

3. Why does Richard hang the kitten?

4. Why does Richard threaten Addie with a knife in Chapter 4?

5. Where does Richard first find his love for books?

6. Why does Richard fight his Uncle Tom?

7. How does Granny injure herself in Chapter 5?

8. Why does Richard leave his job in the sawmill?

9. Why does Richard get baptized in Chapter 6?

10. What happens when Richard makes a delivery to a white neighborhood in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Wright's writing style. How would you describe the prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? Does he use any specific writing techniques? What meaning does Wright's style give to his story?

Essay Topic 2

Identify the main themes of the book. Why do you think these themes are so important to the book? How does Wright use character and setting to express his themes?

Essay Topic 3

Examine black femininity.

1) In what did the whites oppress black femininity?

2) How did the white man's oppression of black femininity affect black women?

3) How have black women reacted to the oppression of their femininity?

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