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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. According to Ellison, which of the following is true during times of war?

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

3. What does the narrator want to do in Chapter 12?

4. How does the vet react when Mr. Norton tries to explain his interest in the college?

5. What is the real purpose of the Reverend's speech?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the objective of Rev. Barbee's sermon?

3. What does Ellison mean by "benign neglect"?

4. To what kind of action has music called the narrator?

5. Why does the narrator say he is invisible?

6. Why does Mr. Norton give Jim Trueblood $100?

7. What lie does Dr. Bledsoe expect the narrator to tell?

8. Why is Harlem a particularly appropriate setting for the novel?

9. Of what "irresponsibility" are sleepwalkers and dreamers accused?

10. Why do the people at the Men's House treat him with hostility?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

On several different occasions, the narrator speaks directly to the reader, ending in his epilogue with "perhaps I speak for you...." Who do you think Ellison imagined as his most likely audience? If the various groups of people in the book could be allegorical representations of cultural groups--i.e. college administrators, blue collar employers, political party leaders, low income minority groups, etc.--what message would they perceive in the novel? Choose two or three different groups and tell how the story might speak to each of them.

Essay Topic 2

Write an analysis of the various locations in which the narrator lives, i.e, the college, Harlem, in his new apartment, and finally in the "hole." Discuss how each location is a reflection of his changing attitude/character.

Essay Topic 3

Several times the narrator recalls his grandfather's dying words. Discuss the situations in which the narrator recalls his grandfather, showing how he reacts to those memories upon different occasions.

(see the answer keys)

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