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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does the poet assert in "Dark Symphony" that black slaves created a brotherhood?
(a) By code.
(b) Through love.
(c) Through tragedy.
(d) Letters.

2. What animal is mentioned in "A Legend of Versailles"?
(a) A tiger.
(b) A dog.
(c) A bear.
(d) A sheep.

3. What Indian tribe tied up the man in "The Ballad of the Rattlesnake"?
(a) Algonquin.
(b) Apache.
(c) Seminole.
(d) Sioux.

4. What is the man in "A Hamlet Rives Us" doing during the poem?
(a) Expressing joy.
(b) Running.
(c) Grieving.
(d) Dancing.

5. What question does Tolson ask in "The Mountain Climber"?
(a) How long it takes to climb a mountain.
(b) Why the moon never shines on the mountain.
(c) Why the climber quits his job.
(d) Why the climber risks his life.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does the poet describe the mongrel in "When Great Dogs Fight"?

2. What do the wise people think of the hillmen's opinions in "Vesuvius"?

3. What happens to the teacher at the end of "The Gallows"?

4. What concept does the poem "Tempo Primo" discuss?

5. What is tied to the rattlesnakes tail in "The Ballad of the Rattlesnake"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Tolson decide to split "Dark Symphony" into titles that are musical movements?

2. Why does the teacher die in "The Gallows"?

3. What does Tolson believe the "new black man" embodies according to "Tempo Primo"?

4. How does Babylon symbolize America in the poem "Babylon"?

5. What is the lesson that Tolson puts forth in "When Great Dogs Fight"?

6. How does "The Street Called Straight" become crooked?

7. What is the purpose of the use of religion in "Rendezvous with America"?

8. How does the poem "The Mountain Climber" represent the struggle to acclimate to America?

9. Why is it important that Tolson does not identify the race of the person who tells the story in "The Ballad of the Rattlesnake"?

10. Who are the bad people that Tolson mentions in his poem "Rendezvous with America," and why does he feel the need to mention them?

(see the answer keys)

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