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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What caused the prison revolt in 1980?
(a) A prisoner was beaten to death by another prisoner.
(b) A prisoner died of asthma.
(c) The prison changed its policies on visits.
(d) A prisoner was killed by a guard.

2. Where was John's mother raised?
(a) In a classy family.
(b) In a poor family.
(c) In a foster family.
(d) In a middle-class family.

3. John says that the prisoners are like him except for what?
(a) They are poor.
(b) They are illiterate.
(c) They are bad.
(d) They are unlucky.

4. How does John characterize Western State Penitentiary?
(a) A decrepit institution.
(b) An imposing nineteenth-century prison.
(c) A gleaming modern prison.
(d) A relatively nice prison.

5. How many siblings doe John have?
(a) Five.
(b) Four.
(c) Six.
(d) Three.

6. How did John's mother know that Robby was getting high?
(a) She found money missing from her purse, and a syringe.
(b) She caught him in the act of shooting up.
(c) She heard in the trial.
(d) She heard from the neighbors.

7. What was Robby's personality as a child?
(a) He always wanted to have fun.
(b) He was easy-going and duplicitous.
(c) He was introspective and moody.
(d) He was the loner in the family.

8. What do the prisoners see children as, according to John?
(a) Meat.
(b) Angels.
(c) Drugs.
(d) Devils.

9. What form does John Wideman use for telling Robby's story?
(a) Narrative.
(b) Satire.
(c) The letter.
(d) The essay.

10. What was funny about John's trip to Maine with Robby?
(a) Robby singing black music.
(b) John translating white music into black music.
(c) Judy singing old Perry Como tunes.
(d) Robby explaining where white music took from black musicians.

11. Where did John go to school?
(a) UPenn.
(b) Cornell.
(c) Harvard.
(d) Penn State.

12. What were prisoners prevented from doing after the revolt, according to John?
(a) Having visitors.
(b) Writing letters.
(c) Making phone calls.
(d) Going outside.

13. What theme runs through 'Brothers and Keepers'?
(a) Christian virtue.
(b) Escape.
(c) Literacy.
(d) Loyalty.

14. What is the Homewood Avenue neighborhood?
(a) A subdevelopment.
(b) An industrial district.
(c) A slum.
(d) A shopping district.

15. How does John measure Robby's growth?
(a) Jamila's growth.
(b) His marriage's changes.
(c) His manuscript's growth.
(d) His career's development.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long does John say is the longest he's ever talked with his brother in his whole life?

2. How long is Robby's prison sentence?

3. How old is Jamila when she visits Robby in prison?

4. What does John say he and his family see when they drive up?

5. What can't a prisoner do, no matter what?

(see the answer keys)

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