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

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Malcolm, what have blacks been brainwashed to worship?

2. What country does Malcolm's plane make a stop in on its way to Saudi Arabia?

3. What does Haley say he tried to be when he wrote Malcolm's autobiography?

4. How many hours of taped recordings does Haley have of interviews between himself and Malcolm?

5. From where does Malcolm want his organization to enlist support?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look at Spike Lee's adaptation of the book. Is it how the students would visualize the book? Do the students think the film is objective? What new meaning do the students think that Denzel Washington and Spike Lee bring to the work? How different do the students think the film would be if it were directed by a white director or starred, for example, Samuel Lee Jackson?

Essay Topic 2

Look at the structure of the novel.

1) Discuss elements of the narrative structure: exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's ideas?

2) Examine the way both Malcolm and Alex Haley use the other people in the story to express Malcolm's ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Haley was also an African American whose family suffered slavery and racism. Adhering to the rule that writers should always write about what they know, do you think it is obvious that Haley knows his subject? What difference do you think it makes to the story? Are there any moments where you think Haley does not portray a person or setting so well? What effect does it have on the story?

(see the answer keys)

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