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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. News of whose death finally prompts Slim to give up pimping and drugs forever?

2. Why does Blood feel the need for a fourth prostitute?

3. Blood tells Runt he has another girl working for him in another city so that Runt will do what?

4. After Mama's death Slim decides on a new path in life. What does he want to do?

5. What does Chris agree to do for Blood at the end of Chapter 12?

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

3. Why does Leroy's arrest drive Chris to work for Blood?

4. What consequences to others does Slim fail to consider before or mention after his escape in Chapter 18?

5. When Slim meets his biological father again in Chapter 14, what difference becomes clear between his father's treatment and his mother's treatment in Slim's decision to become a pimp?

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

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

8. Slim's life sinks deeper into violence after his jailbreak. How is pimping becoming less exciting and more violent in Chapter 19?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

In Chapter 21, it is the news of Party Time's demise that finally provides the impetus for Slim to pull his life together and vow to quit drugs and pimping forever. What about this loss of his first street buddy, his first con partner, causes Slim to question every life decision he has made?

Essay Topic 3

Opinion: Like many of the Harlem Renaissance writers of youth, Iceberg Slim resorts to street vernacular and slang not just for the character dialogue in his book, but for his own first person account. In your opinion what contribution does this make to the book? Does it emphasize the gritty reality of the book? Does it make Slim just sound illiterate? Does it make the book easy or difficult to read? Does it contribute to the atmosphere of the book? Does it seem necessary?

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