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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 is different about his meeting with Runt after her night's work in Chapter 7?

2. Where does Bobby enroll in college?

3. Party Time gets busted for the con he runs with Bobby, but Bobby doesn't go to jail with him. Why not?

4. How does Blood feel about Chris leaving when her husband takes her away?

5. What is Blood's first "need" at the beginning of Chapter 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Runt's failure to return after the wire beating prompt Blood to think about calling Mama in Chapter 11?

2. 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?

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

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

5. 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?

6. How is Pretty Preston used as a foil for Sweet Jones?

7. How does Party Time protect Bobby in Chapter 2, and why?

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

9. How does Blood show his courage and psychological insight in his dealings with Sweet Jones in Chapter 6?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Though the epilogue to the story of Iceberg Slim's life is intended to portray Slim's thankfulness for a new lease on life and a feeling of renewal and redemption, an argument could be made that the overall tone of the book is almost nostalgic and its unapologetic approach shows no real remorse or genuine sense of misgiving for a life spent exploiting and abusing others. Describe your sense of the author's real feelings towards his life and choices. Is there a sense that his path was maybe more difficult than necessary but really not that bad since he "lived happily ever after" in the end? Is the book intended to convey a lesson or moral to the reader about ways not to live life or simply to provide catharsis for the author? Remembering that the author is a self-described psychological manipulator and professional salesman, think critically about the tone and content of the story. What appears to be the motivation of the author (beyond his overtly stated reasoning) for writing this book?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Steve and Slim's biological fathers. How are their influences on Slim's life and choices similar or different? Both will turn up again in Slim's life; how are those encounters different? How does Slim react to each encounter and how does he feel afterward?

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)?

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