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 does the "woman with multiple degrees" say she didn't know black women could get, in Chapter 3?

2. 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?

3. Where has Judith Butler taught since 1993?

4. What does the girl behind the school girl ask her to do when they are taking exams in Chapter 1?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What theme stands out in Chapter 3?

4. What theme predominates Chapter 1 of Citizen: An American Lyric?

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

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

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

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

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

10. What symbolism can be seen in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the theme and concept of "presence." What does presence mean? How does it apply to race and dealing with racism? What does the author equate presence with? How is presence connected to breath?

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 810 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample