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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 happens within hours of Runt and Blood's arrival in the Chapter 5 setting?

2. Getting started on his first "real" night of pimping with Runt, Blood muses on how he is going to be successful in a white man's world. What does he think will accomplish this?

3. Who does Blood decide can get him a positive introduction to Sweet Jones so he can get what he wants from him?

4. Which restaurant is introduced in Chapter 8 that will become a fixture in Runt and Blood's lives?

5. When Bobby gets out of Reformatory, where is Mama working?

Short Essay Questions

1. Bobby accepts the invitation to attend Tuskegee University initially and only leaves when kicked out for bad behavior. How is Bobby's decision to attend college indicative of his frame of mind at this age?

2. How does Blood's experience with Pepper instill in him a desire for money?

3. How does it speak to Blood's salesmanship that he is able to score Runt as his own working girl after such a short period of time?

4. What are two ways in which the Melody incident is haunting for Blood in Chapter 7?

5. In Chapter 4, what might be described as the final exam for graduation to full pimp status for Blood?

6. At the end of Chapter 5, when Blood beats Runt for the first time, he begins to have flashbacks to his childhood and Mama. What insight do these flashbacks provide to Blood's life and personality?

7. How does the incident with Melody provide a metaphor for Blood's relationship with and attitude towards the white world?

8. Does it seem somewhat perverse that Blood whips Runt with a wire and then gets depressed when she leaves and doesn't come back by her usual time in Chapter 11? What does this say about the nature of an abusive relationship?

9. What is the essence of the "cop and blow" scheme in Chapter 10?

10. In Chapter 4, in spite of his quick score with Runt, what is Blood constantly reminding himself and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the beginning of the book the author has Runt and only Runt to work for him. Gradually he acquires Ophelia and Chris, both of whom are described in some detail, are given names and have extensive interaction with Slim. By the end of the book, Slim routinely has 5 to 6 girls working for him at one time, sometimes 5 or 6 in multiple locations, and has high "turn-over." How do Slim's "girl-handling" techniques evolve through his pimping career and how does this progression become clear in the book? How does his business management style evolve as he ages? How does his environment affect his business (for example: the high cop to prostitute ratio in Cleveland)?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 1, Bobby Beck's father suggests to his mother that they should leave Bobby on the steps of the Catholic church since they cannot afford him. Given the childhood violence Beck is exposed to and life that Beck subsequently leads, would this perhaps have been a better alternative leading to a better life? Consider what the upbringing of a black boy in a 1920's Catholic orphanage would have been like, the damage (or lack of) Beck/Blood/Slim inflicted on those around him and the ultimate result of his decisions and life path.

Essay Topic 3

In the World War II years, Sweet Jones makes the prediction that pimping will become tougher because women will now have more ways to make money legitimately. This is an entirely personal viewpoint, somewhat jaded by the nature of his business but, in fact, Sweet is right. How does the work environment change for women in World War II? What effect does this have on prostitution?

(see the answer keys)

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