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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Bliss go to when he disappears from Reverend Hickman as a boy?

2. In the senator's final hallucination sequence, what kind of gun is Brer Rabbit holding?

3. What do the clowns use to make their faces so dark?

4. Who is sitting and talking on the porch when Bliss crawls underneath it?

5. What does Hickman's unexpected female visitor surprisingly apologize for?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss at least 3 different ways and instances in which Biblical allusions are used in the text. What do they contribute to the novel and to the characters?

Essay Topic 2

Choose 5 characters (Sister Bearmasher, Senator Sunraider, etc.) and analyze each of their names, discussing what Ellison may have been trying to convey about their character through the names that he chose for each.

Essay Topic 3

Was Reverend Hickman right in raising Bliss as his own son? Should he have done something differently? Use at least 3 examples from the text to support your position.

(see the answer keys)

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