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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the world say about memory and the past, according to the author in Chapter 4?
(a) To analyze it.
(b) To forget it.
(c) To question it.
(d) To embrace it.

2. What radio host is cited by the author in Chapter 3 for insulting a women's basketball team with racist slurs in Chapter 3?
(a) Howard Stern.
(b) Alex Jones.
(c) Don Imus.
(d) Glenn Ligon.

3. 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) Sherman James.
(b) Jayson Musson.
(c) Glenn Ligon.
(d) Chris Marker.

4. What film does the author describe seeing with a friend in Chapter 1?
(a) Amistad.
(b) Tomorrow's Child.
(c) The House We Live In.
(d) The Color Purple.

5. What tennis superstar expressed his shock that Serena Williams was able to hold it together after losing the semifinal match in the 2004 Women's U.S. Open?
(a) Roger Federer.
(b) John McEnroe.
(c) Andre Agassi.
(d) James Williams.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 3, the author writes, "A friend tells you he has seen a photograph of you on the Internet and he wants to know why you look so" what?

2. What does the author describe Serena Williams doing during the Women's U.S. Open final in Chapter 2?

3. The author writes in Chapter 1, "If this were a domestic tragedy, and it might well be, this would be your fatal flaw." What is the fatal flaw she describes?

4. The author writes in Chapter 4 that the past has "turned your flesh into its own" what?

5. What does the author refer to "doubt" as in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the friend upset about hiring an African American in Chapter 1?

2. How does the author illustrate the differences between white and black experiences in Chapter 3?

3. How does the narrator feel about her experiences described in Chapter 1?

4. How does the narrator respond when she is called a derogatory name by a friend in Chapter 3?

5. What is symbolized by the imagery on the cover of Citizen: An American Lyric?

6. What theme stands out in Chapter 3?

7. What symbolism can be seen in the imagery in Chapter 1?

8. How does the author describe Serena Williams in Chapter 4?

9. What does the author suggest as a potential power in racist language in Chapter 3?

10. How does the narrator respond when called by the wrong name by a woman at work in Chapter 3?

(see the answer keys)

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