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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. What is the result in "Rendezvous With America," of the historic places the poet speaks of?
(a) Famine.
(b) Fear.
(c) A legacy.
(d) A new president.

2. Who does the bard in "The Bard of Addis Ababa" call to?
(a) Spirits.
(b) Warriors.
(c) Teachers.
(d) God.

3. What industries does the poet describe in "Rendezvous With America"?
(a) Cotton and oil.
(b) Hammers and cash registers.
(c) Cars and trucks.
(d) Steam train and tractor.

4. How does the economist in "A Primer for Today" claim change occurs?
(a) Wealth and poverty.
(b) Microeconomics.
(c) Foreclosure.
(d) The stock market.

5. In "The Ballad of the Rattlesnake," what are the sharecroppers doing?
(a) Working in the field.
(b) Telling stories.
(c) Hunting.
(d) Dancing.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is a Hamlet?

2. Who is Crispus Attucks?

3. What does the poet think of Crispus Attucks?

4. What does Tolson claim in "Dark Symphony" that the black man has less of then white men?

5. What does the bard in "The Bard of Addis Ababa" chant about?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What might the volcano's eruption signify in the poem "Vesuvius"?

3. List two important, historical people that Tolson mentions in "Rendezvous with America." Why does he mention these people, and what did they contribute to America?

4. What historical events does Tolson believe tested the powers of Americans in "Rendezvous with America"? What was the result of these events?

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

6. What is Tolson's final message to the reader in "Tempo di Marcia"?

7. How do different people view the world in "A Primer for Today"?

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

9. How does Tolson remove black men from responsibility in "Larghetto"?

10. How does Tolson demonstrate that Crispus Attucks is a hero in "Allegro Moderato"?

(see the answer keys)

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