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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 happens to old scout in "Scout"?

2. Who does Fon say will save him?

3. What does the white man who arrives ask Layton's grandmother for?

4. What shacks are supposed to be haunted?

5. Who is Mack's friend?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the crew pull out of the water in "Ark of Bones"?

2. In "Fon," what hits Nillmon's car?

3. What will happen to people who curse the Echo Tree in "Echo Tree"?

4. What does Nillmon intend to do to Fon in "Fon"?

5. What is Bubba's main objective in "The Crossing"?

6. What seems to be the purpose of the work the men on the ark do in "Ark of Bones"?

7. What is one reason Dumas has the characters constantly joking in "Double Nigger"?

8. How do the police treat the main characters in "Strike and Fade"?

9. Why does Layton's grandmother tell him to give the white man who comes to collect money the good water in "Goodbye, Sweetwater"?

10. Where does Headeye go in "Ark of Bones" at the end of the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Dumas treat the topic of music - and its potential power - throughout this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What do you think Dumas means the man in the river to symbolize in the story "The University of Man," and why do you think so? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What do you think Dumas means to communicate to the reader in the story Harlem through Harold's passive observation of all that goes on around him? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 542 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample