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

Short Answer Questions

1. What phenomenon does Baldwin address in the essay entitled, A Question of Identity?

2. What other event shared the same date as the funeral of Baldwin's father?

3. What does Baldwin say must sustain the American Negro in the present?

4. How does Baldwin describe the entertainment industry in Paris for American performers in the 1940s and 50s?

5. What happened on the same day that Baldwin's father died?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Baldwin writes the essays in the book Notes of a Native Son using more of a conventional style rather than an academic style. Analyze Baldwin's conventional approach to writing. How does Baldwin's conventional approach to writing enhance the book Notes of a Native Son? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Baldwin's experiences as a Negro in America to his experiences in Paris and Switzerland. How are these experiences similar? How are these experiences different? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Baldwin describes his relationship with his father in Notes of a Native Son. After his father's death, Baldwin feels a sense of melancholy that he never had a chance to bond with his father. Why do you think Baldwin feels this way? What regrets, if any, do you think Baldwin had at the end of his father's life? Please use examples from the book to support your answer.

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