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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does the author respond when a friend says in Chapter 3, "You are always on sabbatical"?
(a) "I am not."
(b) "I've never taken sabbatical."
(c) "Easy."
(d) "Why not?"

2. Where does the author describe being when she confronts a man for calling a group of teenagers "niggers" in Chapter 1?
(a) McDonald's.
(b) Starbucks.
(c) Subway.
(d) Burger King.

3. How old does the author describe the school girl in Chapter 1?
(a) 6.
(b) 12.
(c) 16.
(d) 9.

4. The author concludes Chapter 3 by saying that what "shouldn't be an ambition"?
(a) "Justice."
(b) "New paths to progress."
(c) "Reexamining history."
(d) "Just getting along."

5. What word from Chapter 3 means lacking normal clarity or intelligibility in speech or thought?
(a) Incoherent.
(b) Astute.
(c) Inexorable.
(d) Articulate.

6. Who is the researcher that came up with the term "John Henryism"?
(a) Mariana Alves.
(b) Sherman James.
(c) Chris Marker.
(d) Glenn Ligon.

7. Whom does the author cite with the quote in Chapter 2, "I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background"?
(a) Zora Neale Hurston.
(b) Jayson Musson.
(c) Chris Marker.
(d) Sherman James.

8. Who is the teacher described in Chapter 1?
(a) Mr. Jackson.
(b) Mrs. James.
(c) Sister Evelyn.
(d) Mrs. Anderson.

9. What word from Chapter 4 refers to a sentimental longing for the past?
(a) Nostalgia.
(b) Cultivation.
(c) Recompense.
(d) Allusion.

10. What does the author describe the man at the cash register asking her in Chapter 3?
(a) Whether she will be dining in.
(b) Whether she thinks her card will work.
(c) Whether she is a writer.
(d) Whether she would like to pay by cash or credit.

11. The author writes in Chapter 1, "You are reminded of a conversation you had recently, comparing the merits of sentences constructed implicitly with 'yes, and' rather than" what?
(a) "Yes, but."
(b) "No, and."
(c) "No."
(d) "No, but."

12. Rankine opens Chapter 4 with the statement that "To live through the days sometimes you moan like" what?
(a) "Children."
(b) "Slaves."
(c) "Deer."
(d) "Sheep."

13. What word in Chapter 4 refers to a contemplative person?
(a) Valedictorian.
(b) Allegiant.
(c) Ruminant.
(d) Sycophant.

14. When does the author first describe watching the Women's U.S. Open final in Chapter 2?
(a) 2009.
(b) 2013.
(c) 2011.
(d) 2007.

15. What artist stenciled the line "I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background" on canvas, transforming the words into abstractions?
(a) Glenn Ligon.
(b) Jayson Musson.
(c) Chris Marker.
(d) Sherman James.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the author claim the world says not to wear in the house in Chapter 4?

2. The author claims in Chapter 3 that "Language that feels hurtful is intended to exploit all the ways that you are" what?

3. In Chapter 3, the author writes, "Someone in the audience asks the man promoting his new book on humor what makes something funny. His answer is what you expect." What is the answer he gives?

4. What does the word "iterate" mean in Chapter 4?

5. The author describes Hennessy Youngman in Chapter 2, saying that "He advises black artists to cultivate" what?

(see the answer keys)

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