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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 language does Gerald use to speak to Piri?

2. How much money does Brew offer the man to allow them to work on the ship?

3. Who does Piri have a fight with in this section?

4. What do the prisoners call Ricardo?

5. What color hair do both James and Jose have?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the argument between Piri and his brother, Jose.

2. Why does Rocky want to fight with Piri?

3. How does Piri get off heroin?

4. What does Piri's father tell him in at breakfast in Section 5?

5. What tragedy occurs when Piri returns to New York?

6. How does Piri feel about Trina marrying another man?

7. What are Brew and Piri's opinion of Gerald?

8. Describe Piri's routine at Sing Sing prison?

9. What work does Piri find in Section 7?

10. What is Piri's sentence for shooting the policeman and for the robbery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Why has gang culture become such a big part of life in the poorer areas of America? Why does Piri feel he needs to be part of a gang?

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This section contains 772 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample