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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. What is the name of the girl Piri meets at the hospital?

2. What does Piri see the store owner opening when they go to another store?

3. What nationality is Piri's mother?

4. What earns Piri applause on the baseball field?

5. Where does Piri go with his mother for help?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does racism bother Piri in the fourth section?

2. Describe Piri's job as a shoeshine boy.

3. What problems does Piri face when he has to move to a new neighborhood?

4. How does Miss Washington help Piri in this section?

5. How do Piri and his mother react differently to Paulie's death?

6. Describe the way of life in Harlem.

7. Describe Piri's time with the baseball team at his new school.

8. How does Piri ensure that he becomes part of the TNT gang?

9. Why does Piri think his father does not like him as much as his other children?

10. What happens at the faggots' apartment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Piri's writing style. How would you describe his prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? Does he use any specific writing techniques? What meaning does Piri's style give to his story?

Essay Topic 2

What did Piri experience in Harlem and how did those experiences shape his character? Would Piri have entered a life of crime if he had grown up in another area of the country?

Essay Topic 3

What problems have mixed relationships caused in the past? Why were people so against mixed relationships? Is part of the attraction between Piri and Betty the antagonism they know their relationship will cause?

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This section contains 704 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample