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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 Robby say is the way out?

2. Who else is at the site of the robbery, who wasn't supposed to be there?

3. How many prisoners take degrees?

4. Who were the cops looking for after the robbery?

5. Who ratted Robby and his guys out?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Robby and his crew do after the robbery?

2. How does Robby characterize the ghetto mentality?

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

4. How did Robby and his crew pull off the robbery?

5. What does Robby say was his impulse after the robbery?

6. How does John describe Robby's drug deal in Detroit?

7. How is John's 1982 visit unusual?

8. How does John characterize his revision to Robby's story.

9. What does Robby say is the purpose of educate?

10. How did the botched job feel wrong from the start, according to Robby?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does John characterize his brother? What literary techniques does he use to bring his brother to life as a literary character? How does his characterization change throughout the course of the memoir, as he writes one draft and then another? What does John learn about himself and his brother in the process of trying to capture this story in writing?

Essay Topic 2

What is the genre of Wideman's book about his brother? Analyze the text and make an argument. Is it a memoir? A piece of advocacy? Journalism? History? Literature? Novel? A biography? Is it dated by its material, or is it timeless?

Essay Topic 3

What is the role of family in the relationship between John and Robby? Who else participates in their relationship, and who is instrumental in keeping their relationship going? How is John's solo visit to see Robby different from his visits with Judy and Jamila?

(see the answer keys)

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