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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. In what way does Richard think thievery is encouraged?

2. What does Richard start selling to earn money?

3. What does Granny equate literary fiction with?

4. Why did the whites kill the black boy?

5. What does Richard work as during the summer?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Richard think racism encourages theft?

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

3. How do people respond to Richard's ambitions to become a writer in Chapter 7?

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

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

6. How does Richard burn down his grandparents' house?

7. What does Richard think about the popular contention that black people lead passionate, emotional lives?

8. How does Granny injure herself in Chapter 5?

9. What happens when Richard gets a flat tire on his bicycle?

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

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

Examine black masculinity.

1) In what ways did the whites oppress black masculinity?

2) How did the white man's oppression of black masculinity affect black men?

3) How have black men reacted to the oppression of their masculinity?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the values of early 20th century America

1) How did the whites view blacks in the early 20th century?

2) What significant changes do you think occurred during this period that changed the way whites viewed blacks?

3) Does today's society share any values with early 20th century America?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 758 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample