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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. What was the aim of the quartet groups like the Melodeers?

2. Where is Atlanta located?

3. What is not one of the two legends of the "white Gentile" as described by Baldwin?

4. Why does Baldwin assert that White people contribute to the perpetuation of the stereotypical characters such as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Tom?

5. What is the theme of Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Baldwin's first experience with real-world hatred.

2. Why did many of the Americans that chose to study in Paris after the war, return to the United States?

3. Describe the language and dialect in the film Carmen Jones.

4. Describe how Baldwin's Harlem compares to his parent's Harlem.

5. According to Baldwin, what stereotypical qualities do Aunt Jemima and Uncle Tom share?

6. What is the main difference between the American Negro and the French Negro?

7. What is the significance of having the evil and immoral characters played by very dark complected Negroes in the film Carmen Jones?

8. Why do you think Baldwin experiences a sense of melancholy after his father's death?

9. Why does Baldwin not praise the movie Carmen Jones and its cast for breaking racial barriers?

10. How does Baldwin use Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Equal in Paris, Baldwin chooses to live in Paris, a place where he is considered a stranger. How does Baldwin's experience as a stranger in Paris differ from his experience as a stranger in his own country, the United States? Likewise, what similarities exist between Baldwin's experience as a stranger in Paris and the United States? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

In the essay Notes of a Native Son, Baldwin uses his personal experience to describe his life as a native son. How does Baldwin's personal account as a Native Son compare to his summary and criticism of the book Native Son in the essay Many Thousands Gone? Does his account address the issues he had with the original story? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Isolation is a major theme throughout Baldwin's book Notes of a Native Son. What reasons do you think African Americans abroad had for choosing to isolate themselves from other African Americans abroad? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

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