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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. In Chapter 18, McCall is able to discover literature relevant to his life and pass the time, when he is in what place?

2. In Chapter 14 McCall makes the college honor roll with what grade point average?

3. What kind of vehicle does McCall's stepfather drive that is also a cause for tension at McCall's job?

4. In Chapter 3, the reader discovers that McCall was jealous of his grandmother's affections while she worked as what for a Jewish family?

5. McCall's stepfather takes in a child from his previous marriage who is older than McCall; what is this child's name?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 22, why is McCall hurt by his friends' actions while he is in prison?

2. Why does McCall refer to the fighting of whites and among groups and gangs, in Chapter 7 as "dress rehearsal?"

3. McCall's relationship with Elisabeth Miller keeps him off the streets but raises a different issue. Explain.

4. What scam do Elisabeth and McCall run in Chapter 15?

5. Why does McCall dislike his stepfather's behavior with white people?

6. Why is McCall relieved when he is realizes he will have to serve at least 18 months in jail of his sentence of several years for robbing McDonald's?

7. What does McCall realize about his life after Moses Battle teaches him how to play chess in Chapter 17?

8. According to McCall in Chapter 6, why does he expect that his mother should have talked to her boys about sex?

9. In Chapter 20 and 21, how do McCall's encounters with women affect him?

10. In the opening chapter when McCall, along with others, is beating the young white boy, what is going on in McCall's head?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the significance of McCall's approval of unusual names for black babies in relation to his need to rebel against all things mainstream.

Essay Topic 2

How does Stanley's visit and the resulting scenes and events in McCall's life facilitate McCall's decision to leave behind drug use from this point forward? How does this turning point reflect other changes that occurred in McCall's life during this time as well (family, career)?

Essay Topic 3

Explain McCall's conflict about deciding whether to join a gang while in prison or walk away (Part II of book, Chapter 17-23). Also discuss how this conflict illustrates McCall's growing maturity.

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