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

2. Where/How is Bobby's Mama working when he comes home from University?

3. After his initial meeting with Runt, where does Blood go before leaving the city?

4. How does Blood know the things he knows about Sweet Jones (like his essential motivation)?

5. Memories of whom begin to haunt Blood as he physically abuses Runt for the first time?

Short Essay Questions

1. Apart from a beating, what does Sweet Jones provide for Blood during their first meeting?

2. At the end of Chapter 4, Runt and Blood leave Milwaukee and go to Chicago to begin their new lives as pimp and prostitute together. Before he leaves though, Blood goes by Mama's house to tell her where he's going. How does this reflect his ambivalence towards his mother?

3. How is Bobby "torn from the nest"?

4. Besides giving him his first street name, how does Weeping Shorty influence Blood's career as a pimp?

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

6. 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?

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

8. In spite of having worked as a pimp for less than a full day in Chicago, Blood nevertheless provides Runt with a full set of "rules for whoring" in the neighborhood. Why does he do this and where would he have gotten these rules?

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

10. In what two ways does Pepper influence Blood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout his life, Slim maintains contact with Mama, even going to sit by her deathbed for six months and ultimately forgiving her. Trace the evolution of Slim and Mama's relationship and show how the changes in their relationship are reflected in the concurrent changes in Slim's life, attitude and choices.

Essay Topic 2

Describe and comment on the irony in the fact that when Slim is released from Leavenworth, he has lost everything and everyone in his life except Mama, the person who, in his mind, drove him into the life he now leads.

Essay Topic 3

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)?

(see the answer keys)

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