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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. As a youth, what are Malcolm and Laura doing that gets the crowd roaring?

2. Why does Malcolm make fun of the deacon?

3. Why does Earl have to walk home that night?

4. In a flashback, what does Louise say to Earl about a rabbit?

5. What does Malcolm say when Laura says he is nice?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Malcolm muse about as he thinks about his past?

2. Who does Louise Little, Malcolm's mother, have to confront in the back yard of her house?

3. What is Malcolm's ambition after he finishes high school?

4. What is the opening sequence in the screenplay?

5. What event does Malcolm remember as he watches people on the streets?

6. What dramatic technique does Baldwin use to set up the background of the movie?

7. Unable to pursue his dream, what happens to Malcolm?

8. What stands in the way of Malcolm's marrying Laura?

9. What comes out to explain Louise's fair complexion?

10. What are the two religious books where Malcolm's name is written?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay of two or more typed, double-spaced pages on Visual Arts as a Way of Telling a Story. Using Alex Baldwin's scenario, show how the story is moved along and made clear by the use of various visual flashbacks rather than pages of dialog. Give specific examples describing what message of those visuals convey.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of two or more typed, double-spaced pages on Following Your Dream. Begin with Malcolm's blandly accepting Mr. Ostrovski's pronouncement that black people cannot become lawyers. Point out that he did not get that same advice from Mrs. Swerlin. After the examples, personalize the essay for yourself and people in general who are determined to follow a dream.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of two or more typed, double-spaced pages on the importance of dialog in human relationships. Early on in his career with the Movement, Malcolm never entertained the idea of dialog with white people. He learned the importance of dialog when he visited Mecca. Discuss how open dialog should be the first step taken in bringing conflicting sides together.

(see the answer keys)

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