View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word from Chapter 2 means to have commercialized something?

2. What word from Chapter 3 means lacking normal clarity or intelligibility in speech or thought?

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

4. Who is the performer who invented the persona of Hennessy Youngman?

5. Where is the school described as being located in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Judith Butler and why does the author cite her in Chapter 3?

2. Who is Hennessy Youngman and what is discussed regarding him in Chapter 2?

3. What realization does the author reach in Chapter 3?

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

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

6. What happens in the narrative at the Catholic school in Chapter 1?

7. What is signified and alluded to by the picture of the Rutgers women's basketball team in Chapter 3?

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

9. Who is Franz Fanon and why does the author cite him in Chapter 2?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the murder of James Craig Anderson. When and where was James Craig Anderson murdered? Who killed him? How? What were the impacts of James Craig Anderson's murder?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Don Imus and the controversy described in Chapter 3. Whom did Imus make racist slurs against? What were the repercussions of Imus's comments? How did Imus's comments influence racial tensions in the country?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the events surrounding the Rodney King beating and the ensuing riots. What led to Rodney King's beating? How were these events presented in the media? How did the Rodney King beating influence race relations in the U.S.?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 709 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample