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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 procedure is performed on the narrator?

2. What had Mr. Trueblood done prior to his disgrace?

3. What does the narrator tell Mr. Emerson that he wants to do with his future?

4. Ellison's primary struggle in writing the book was

5. Bledsoe tells the narrator that he should not worry about

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. Why do the grandfather's dying words make the narrator feel guilty about receiving praise?

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

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

9. Why does the trip to the Trueblood house make the narrator feel uncomfortable?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Blindness is one of the most pervasive motifs of the novel. Discuss the different types of blindness that are represented by the characters, for example, Norton, Mary, the two nuns, Brother Jack, Ras, the narrator himself, and others. Choose three or four characters that represent different types of blindness and explain how their blindness influences their actions and decisions. Is there anyone in the novel who sees clearly, whether he uses his sight for good or for evil purposes?

Essay Topic 2

The African American people--at whatever geographic location they are found in the novel--seem to have little hope of a future that is equal to the whites in terms of wealth, status, education, or upward mobility. Whether they are in the north or the south, the forces that impede progress have much in common. For example, Norton requires a barely "post-slavery" recipient, that is, someone who needs the help he imagines he is giving, in order for his endeavors to have any meaning. Similarly, numerous philosophers have suggested that we need the poor and downtrodden among us in order to have a subject upon which to practice charity. Discuss several different ways in which this attitude is expressed in the novel. Show what this approach of using a particular group target upon which to practice an ideology accomplishes both for the subject group and for the "charitable" or practicing entity.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the use of white vs black and dark vs light throughout the novel. How are these contrasting concepts used in unexpected ways?

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