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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. Who is Malcolm approached by at the dance?

2. Which character in this chapter wants to kill Malcolm?

3. Where does Malcolm's sister live?

4. What does Malcolm's mother attempt to get in order to support her children?

5. What does Malcolm do with his hair in this chapter?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Malcolm go about helping to change the Nation of Islam in Chapter 12?

2. Describe West Indian Archie.

3. Summarize Chapter 6.

4. Why is Malcolm given the nickname Satan?

5. In what way does Malcolm appreciate his difficult upbringing?

6. What are Malcolm's arguments in terms of racism?

7. Why doe Malcolm initially think that it is a good idea to give up cigarettes in prison?

8. Describe this final chapter.

9. Why does Malcolm decide to take a course in English?

10. What does Malcolm learn about skin color during his pilgrimage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss with the students first person point of view. Why do the students think first person point of view is not necessarily reliable? What moments in the book do the students think are not so reliable and why? With the students, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the first person.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss differences between the novel and autobiography formats. What are the main elements of a novel? What are the main elements of an autobiography? What can novelists express that an autobiographer cannot? How can autobiographies keep to the facts while still maintaining a level of entertainment?

Essay Topic 3

What do you think are the problems with the way Malcolm represents Muhammad in the book? What do you think Muhammad would say about Malcolm? Does this subjectivity highlight the problem with reliability of autobiographies?

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