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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 will black people overcome according to "Tempo di Marcia"?

2. Who is Crispus Attucks?

3. What does the black man want in "Tempo Primo"?

4. Who is the object in "Damascus Bride" fit for?

5. What is La Guardia's ethnic background?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "A Scholar Looks at an Oak," how is the black man represented?

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

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

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

5. What is the meaning of the bones of both the snake and the man are left in the dessert in "The Ballad of the Rattlesnake"?

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

7. How is hatred the downfall of white men in "The Blindness of Scorn"?

8. How does Tolson define bravery in the poem "The Big Game Hunter"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the poem, "Libretto for the Republic of Liberia," Tolson compares America to the narrator's mother, Liberia to his wife, and Africa to his brother. What does Tolson mean by this comparison?

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

One of the themes that reoccurs in Tolson's poetry is that of the hardworking every-man. Chose one poem where this theme is present and explain how Tolson presents it using imagery and symbolism.

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