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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 one of the workers show Richard to demonstrate how dangerous working at the sawmill can be?

2. Why did the whites kill the black boy?

3. When does the policeman say Richard should not make deliveries to white neighborhoods?

4. What does Granny equate literary fiction with?

5. What kind of school does Richard enter?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Richard's boss respond when Richard tells him he was bitten by his dog?

2. How does Granny injure herself in Chapter 5?

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

4. What awkward question does Richard's prospective white employer ask him?

5. What advice does Grigg offer Richard?

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

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

8. Why does Granny beat Richard with a wet towel?

9. How does Richard's ability to read and write help him in Chapter 3?

10. Why does Richard hang the kitten?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the beatings Richard's family inflicted upon him. Why did Richard's family beat him so much? What effect did the beatings have on him? Why were such beating typical of that time period?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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