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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What goes through Bigger's mind when he hears the music from the church?
(a) He hums along, but feeling to peace he gets angry.
(b) He wishes he could be with his mother.
(c) He hates the music and can't wait to find another apartment.
(d) He half wishes he was a believer like his mother, but doesn't want to give up his sense of self.

2. Why does Mr. Dalton refuse to have Jan Erlone picked up by the police for questioning?
(a) He doesn't want the police invovled because doesn't trust them.
(b) He is afraid of the bad publicity.
(c) He doesn't think Jan Erlone has anything to do with it.
(d) He's afraid his daughter is just doing this to disgrace the family.

3. After he recalls killing Mary Dalton, what did Bigger realize he left in plain sight of his mother and his siblings?
(a) Mary's purse
(b) The pamphlets Jan gave him
(c) His bloody clothing
(d) The knife

4. What did Bigger's mother say to him after she awakens the morning after the killing?
(a) She wanted to know why he came in after 4 in the morning.
(b) She wanted to know why he was there if he was supposed to live at the Dalton's house.
(c) She wanted to know what he wanted for breakfast.
(d) She told him Bessie came to see him the night before.

5. What does Bigger overhear Mrs. Dalton saying to Peggy when she learns her daughter is gone?
(a) She expains that she does not trust the people Mary associates herself with, and suspects they have something to do with Mary not being home.
(b) She complains that she took her daughter shopping for expensive clothing that she didn't even pack for her trip.
(c) She expresses her dislike for the people Mary travels with, and is shocked she hadn't even packed her new clothing for the trip.
(d) She admits she isn't comfortable with Bigger living in the house and wonders if he frightened her daughter away.

6. What idea does Bigger get after Bessie mentions he is working near the site of the Leopold and Loeb case?
(a) Kidnapping and ransom
(b) That he and Bessie should go out on the town
(c) Blaming Mary's disappeareance on Leopold and Loeb
(d) Contacting Leopold and Loeb for advice

7. Bigger finally shakes down the ashes, but he doesn't remove them from the furnace, he just adds more coal. What happens then?
(a) The fire starts to get hot again.
(b) The room fill with smoke so Bigger has to get a fan to blow it out the basement window.
(c) The fire goes out and Bigger must restart it.
(d) The fire is smothered and the basement fills with smoke.

8. What happens when the first police officer comes through the trap door to the rooftop?
(a) Bigger runs away.
(b) Bigger throws snowballs at him.
(c) Bigger knocks him unconscious.
(d) Bigger shootes him.

9. What does Bigger finally do after wandering the streets looking for food and shelter?
(a) He steals a loaf of bread then hides in an alley to eat it.
(b) He buys a loaf of bread then finds an empty apartment to break into.
(c) He steals a loaf of bread then finds an empty apartment to break into.
(d) He hides with a group of homeless people living near the river.

10. In Book Two Bigger is feeling very confident and powerful, except when he sleeps and dreams. What does he dream about after his first meeting with Britten.
(a) A church bell that turns out to be a warning bell urging him to hide himself and his package.
(b) All are correct.
(c) He is carrying a package that turns out to be his own severed, bloddy head wrapped in paper.
(d) He tries to run from the blood, the coal, and white faces.

11. Why does Bessie finally agree to help Bigger with his kidnapping scam?
(a) She is greedy and wants in on the deal.
(b) He says he will give her half the money.
(c) He says he will leave her if she doesn't help him.
(d) He threatens to murder her family.

12. What happens after Jan Erlone sees Bigger on the street and offers to help him, then invites him out for coffee to talk about the situation?
(a) Bigger tells Jan Erlone he doesn't need his help.
(b) Bigger runs away.
(c) Bigger pulls a gun on Jan Erlone.
(d) Jan Erlone runs away when he sees Bigger has a knife.

13. What things does Mrs. Dalton question Bigger about when she comes to his room?
(a) About where the car was parked, the trunk and Jan Erlone.
(b) About Mary leaving her new clothing behind.
(c) About where he took Mary the night before.
(d) About Jan Erlone's involvement with the communists.

14. When Peggy finds Mary is not in her room what does she question Bigger about it, and what does he tell her?
(a) He confesses that Mary had been drunk the night before and that "the gentleman", Jan Erlone, insisted on driving her home, but dropped Bigger at his home first.
(b) That he has no idea what could have happened since Mary was fine when he left her.
(c) That the "gentleman", Jan Erlone, was planning on spending the night and he was going to go with Mary to the train in the morning.
(d) That the car is in the driveway because "the gentleman", Jan, was going to drive himself home the night before.

15. How do the police finally catch Bigger?
(a) They shoot him in the leg.
(b) They don't, he gets away one more time.
(c) An officer wrestles with him and wins.
(d) They use a water hose to soak him.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Britten?

2. After he returns to work at the Dalton house, what happens when Peggy asks Bigger to tend to the furnace because it has been running too hot?

3. What does Bigger do with the pamphlets Jan gave him the night before?

4. What does Bigger do to Bessie after they go to the old building to hide?

5. In what ways does Bigger act to give the impression he thinks Mary is asleep upstairs in her bedroom?

(see the answer keys)

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