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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. Why did John's father move to Pittsburgh?
(a) To follow his wife's family.
(b) He was joining some family members there.
(c) It was where his car broke down.
(d) Employment in mining.

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

4. What does John say he and his family see when they drive up?
(a) Chain link fences and dogs.
(b) Barbed wire and guards.
(c) Guard towers and guns.
(d) Crowds of waiting visitors.

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

6. What can't a prisoner do, no matter what?
(a) Speak freely.
(b) Kill time.
(c) Breathe free.
(d) Run.

7. Where does the word 'jail' come from?
(a) Torture.
(b) Trap.
(c) Chain.
(d) Cage.

8. What bothered John most about arguing with the white student?
(a) It was clear that it didn't matter who was most knowledgeable.
(b) Nothing John said could convince the kid he was right.
(c) The white kid knew more than he did.
(d) The white kid threw his blackness in his face.

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

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

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

12. How often does John visit Robby in prison?
(a) Every other month.
(b) Monthly.
(c) Weekly.
(d) Annually.

13. What does John say he likes seeing at the prison?
(a) The bravery in his children's eyes.
(b) The kids hugging Robby.
(c) The guards taking care of the prisoners.
(d) The softening that happens when the prisoners see their visitors.

14. What does John say freedom is related to?
(a) Having good friends.
(b) Having work.
(c) Running.
(d) Owning land.

15. How does John say he and his family have to behavior at the prison?
(a) They have to be patient and persistent.
(b) They are exuberant and outgoing.
(c) They have to be aggressive to get what they want.
(d) They have to be respectful.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Robby change his mother?

2. Who does Jamila say Robby looks like?

3. How does John characterize his feeling about his brother?

4. What was Robby's personality as a child?

5. How does John characterize the waiting room?

(see the answer keys)

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