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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 does John include in the postscript?

2. How did Robby meet Michael Dukes?

3. What does Robby say he wants prisoners to become?

4. How does Robby characterize Stavros?

5. How did Robby, Mike and Cecil know that they were in big trouble?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Robby and his crew get assistance on the night of the robbery?

2. How is John's 1982 visit unusual?

3. What happened when John took a shortcut to the penitentiary?

4. How does Robby characterize his work with autistic kids?

5. Who was Red Murphy?

6. How does Robby characterize his career in fencing operations?

7. How did Robby come to believe that Stavros had a gun?

8. What does Robby say about his educate in his speech?

9. Describe Robby's meeting with Johnny-Boy.

10. How does Robby say the prison environment changes after his appeals are all turned down?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of the women in "Brothers and Keepers", and how would the action and ideas in the book be portrayed differently if they were described from a woman's perspective? How would John's mother, or Judy, or Tanya, tell this story? How does John include their point of view?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast John and Robby's methods of speaking out. What do they say, when they have a chance? What are they prevented from saying? What does this tell us about the options black men have, for speaking up?

Essay Topic 3

In what way are John and Robby American? What part of their experience is essentially American, and what other parts of their experiences are not typically American? What nationality or identity do they partake of if they are not American?

(see the answer keys)

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