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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 shade of black does John say he and his siblings are?

2. What does John say he feels about escaping to Wyoming?

3. How many siblings doe John have?

4. What does John say he does not like about the visit?

5. When did John realize the effect of Garth's death on Robby?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does John characterize the drive to the penitentiary?

2. Why was Robby expelled from high school in 1968?

3. In what way is John on the run as much as Robby is?

4. What does John say about his wife and daughter?

5. Who travels to the prison to visit Robby?

6. Why does John say it might have been a mistake to bring Robby home with him?

7. Describe Robby's entrance into drugs and crime.

8. How does John say he and his family act when they get to the penitentiary?

9. How does Robby characterize himself as a young man?

10. What happened after Robby's arrest?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Evaluate your own reading of "Brothers and Keepers"--did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 2

How does John define freedom in "Brothers and Keepers", and how does he exercise his freedom? In what ways is he NOT free? How does his lack of freedom compare with his brother's? Is he just a different kind of prisoner? Is he freer because he has stayed clear of the law? Is he free because he has work that supports him? What does freedom reside in?

Essay Topic 3

How has American culture changed since Wideman wrote his book? Research the incarceration of blacks and describe what has changed, if anything, in the system Wideman describes.

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