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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 does Harold not do once while listening to the street prophet in "Harlem"?

2. Who at the corporation instructs Kenny and Carl to see no one but him?

3. What is the narrator's grandfather in "Devil Bird"?

4. Who does Tyros meet in the largest city he moves through?

5. Who comes to the narrator's house in "Devil Bird"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do both the devil and God want to consult repeatedly in the story "Devil Bird"?

2. In "Rope of Wind," why is Johnny B afraid of the men who stop him in the beginning?

3. In "Harlem," what part does Harold take in the protests?

4. How does Saul's inability to enlist in the army in "Thrust Counter Thrust" affect his feelings about Lon's death?

5. How does the company in "The Man Who Could See Through Fog" treat it workers?

6. In "The University of Man," why does Tyros take his journey?

7. What does the machine in "The Distributors" appear to do to people?

8. In "Six Days You Shall Labor," what do Big Mo and the others do after being told not to pick the pecans?

9. What does Mr. Westland ask Johnny B to tell his son?

10. In "The Man Who Could See Through Fog," what is the intent of the smoker machine?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "Double Nigger," what several purposes does Dumas attach to the group of friends' constant joking and teasing? How do these jokes take on a different cast after the friends' interactions with the white man in the truck? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What elements of magical realism can you identify and explain throughout this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How would you characterize Dumas's tone and language throughout this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 590 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample