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

2. What does the author say sighing does in Chapter 4?

3. How many police cars arrived when the author's friend was harassed while babysitting for her in Chapter 1?

4. What does the world say about memory and the past, according to the author in Chapter 4?

5. The author claims in Chapter 1, "A friend argues that Americans battle between the 'historical self' and" what?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What conclusion does the author reach in Chapter 4?

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

5. How would you describe the narrative style of Chapter 1? What is significant about the narrative style?

6. How is the theme of memory addressed in Chapter 4?

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

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

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

10. How does the author describe Serena Williams's career in 2012?

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 the theme of the pain of prejudice in Citizen: An American Lyric. How does the author develop this theme through symbolism and imagery? How is it developed through the scenarios presented by the author?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the scenarios presented by the author in Chapter 1. What are the different "characters" presented by the narrator? What do these characters experience? How do their experiences affect them?

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