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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. Why does the narrator not tell the doctors his name after the procedure?
(a) He can't remember it.
(b) He is trying to protect himself
(c) He doesn't realize that he hasn't said anything
(d) He is too tired

2. What bit of advice from the young Mr. Emerson does the narrator actually heed?
(a) to realize that he has no identity
(b) to return to the college
(c) to forget about Mr. Bledsoe
(d) to call Liberty Paints and ask for a job

3. How does Mr. Norton explain the day's events?
(a) He has no explanation.
(b) He says the trip was the narrator's idea.
(c) He says the narrator was not responsible.
(d) He claims the narrator took advantage of his (Norton's) illness

4. In chapter 9, the narrator walks a short distance with another man. What is the man doing besides singing?
(a) eating
(b) leading a dog
(c) carrying a suitcase
(d) Carrying blueprints

5. What kind of speeches has the narrator given from the stage in the chapel?
(a) Phony speeches with notes supplied by white men.
(b) Speeches that flattered the whites.
(c) Speeches that expressed his frustration in cultural symbolism.
(d) Genuine speeches that expressed how he felt.

Short Answer Questions

1. The narrator's pondering of his upcoming punishment is an example of what literary device?

2. Which of the following represents the narrator's philosophy?

3. What is the narrator's explanation for taking Mr. Norton to the Golden Day?

4. What mistake does the narrator make at Liberty Paints?

5. How did the narrator get invited to participate in the Battle Royal?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who are the sleeping ones?

2. What mistake does the veteran doctor predict the narrator will make?

3. Explain the irony of the sign "Keep American Pure with Liberty Paints."

4. What does the veteran at the Golden Day understand that the narrator does not?

5. What does the narrator notice while waiting for his appointment with the trustees?

6. How was the narrator's graduation speech a betrayal of black people?

7. What final action does the hospital take to ensure the narrator's silence?

8. Why is important to know that the introduction was written 30 years after the novel itself?

9. What literary device is used in Chapter 4?

10. What does the narrator expect from his visit with Mr. Bates?

(see the answer keys)

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