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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. Who does RIchard say is the person who encourages him to keep writing?

2. In what way does Richard think thievery is encouraged?

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

4. Who does Richard choose to live with?

5. Where is Richard making a delivery to when a policeman stops him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Richard get baptized in Chapter 6?

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

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

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

5. How does Richard cut his ear?

6. Why does Richard stop selling the newspaper?

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

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

9. How does Granny injure herself in Chapter 5?

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

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

Look at the structure of the book.

1) Discuss elements of the narrative structure: exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's ideas?

2) Examine the way Wright uses other people in the story to express his ideas.

Essay Topic 3

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 795 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample