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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. Where are the bones of the man and snake left behind in "The Ballad of the Rattlesnake"?

2. What does the white man tell the black man to forget in "Andante Sostenuto"?

3. What does the Malay claim in "The Blindness of Scorn" put people on the attack?

4. In "If You Should Lie to Me," who is the narrator speaking to?

5. What do the people of Addis Ababa want to the bard to do?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. Describe the bard in "The Bard of Addis Ababa."

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

8. How does the story of the sheep and the wolf in "The Dictionary of the Wolf" symbolize racism?

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

10. Why does the narrator in "An Ex-Judge at the Bar" feel guilty, and how does he appease this guilt?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What impact did Lincoln have on Tolson's life? Choose examples from Tolson's poems that suggest what relationship Tolson had with Lincoln. Why does Tolson hold Lincoln in such high esteem?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the concept of a new black man. What is Tolson's definition of this term, and how does he present this idea in his poems. Choose two poems to defend your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Why is the word tapestries important in the poem "Tapestries of Time"?

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