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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 relative is newly introduced after Slim's escape from State Workforce?

2. Where is Slim arrested again after his escape from State Workforce?

3. Where does Blood nearly get shot in the head?

4. How old is Slim a the end of Chapter 19?

5. Why does Runt not like Carmen?

Short Essay Questions

1. Slim has two near-murder experiences in Chapter 20. Who does he nearly kill, how and why doesn't he?

2. Slim finally feels like he is totally alone when he is released from Leavenworth in Chapter 16 and discovers Chris has married and had a baby. Is his reaction to this information purely selfish or is it possible that he has himself contemplated marrying Chris and is jealous of her ability to establish love and stability for herself?

3. How has Leroy been spending his years when Slim runs across him again in prison?

4. While out on bail in Chapter 16, how does Slim show his true colors as a friend to Sweet Jones and why?

5. How does the Chapter 22 title "Dawn" reflect the evolution of Slim's life at this stage?

6. Mavis is a female drug dealer and one of the few women in the story who is not a prostitute. How does Mavis being female make her an appropriate target for Slim's robbery attempt in Chapter 17?

7. Why does Blood begin to feel like a real pimp in Chapter 13?

8. Why is Chris one of the few people who knows that Slim is addicted to cocaine in Chapter 13?

9. What prompts Runt to work harder after her return in Chapter 12?

10. Slim's story about the State Workforce seems a little light on truth in Chapter 18. What are some elements that seem perhaps questionable?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oscar, the inmate Bobby meets in State Reformatory School, is institutionalized after spending too much time in solitary confinement. After Slim (or Bobby, as he was then) witnesses Oscar's decline into madness and suicide, he internalizes this lesson and remembers it during his own stretch in solitary later on. It is integral to his desire to comply with the warden's demands to know the details of his escape. Solitary confinement is still utilized in certain circumstances in the American prison system (and many other prison systems around the world). The UN categorizes some uses of solitary confinement as torture or inhumane treatment. Why are humans so heavily impacted psychologically by solitary confinement? How can the experience of solitary confinement change depending upon the personality of the person incarcerated? In Slim's case, months in solitary confinement ultimately give the warden what he wants. Is solitary confinement an acceptable method for getting truth (or other desired behaviors) from someone? Is solitary confinement a necessary evil of the prison system or an inhumane exercise in cruelty against people who have no way of defending themselves?

Essay Topic 2

In spite of the fact that Slim owns a gun, a reasonably normal accessory for a pimp, he never kills anyone (though he does shoot Serena and attempts to shoot Steve) and very few of his associates are murdered or die by violence. Sweet Jones shoots and kills an unnamed man, though he escapes jail. Slim is shot at in the Roost but is not hurt. Henry Upshaw, Glass Top, Pretty Preston and Mama all die of various (though not necessarily unavoidable) natural causes. None of Slim's prostitutes ever is reported to die (even though Slim himself attempts to kill Runt). Slim's world is filled with anger, violence, danger, beatings, drugs, sex, prison stints and yet Slim's story is almost unaffected by traumatic deaths. Does this seem likely? Is this relative "purity" a fictional polish the author has put in the story? What other reasons might there be for this?

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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