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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. According to Morrison, what do readers and writers struggle to interpret?

2. How does Morrison feel about the scholar who deemed the term "darky" acceptable?

3. In Morrison's point of view, what does the fabrication of an Africanist presence a reflexive mediation on?

4. According to Cardinal, what does America plan to slaughter?

5. What two things does Morrison claim not to be extremely distinct for a writer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Toni Morrison think about Marie Cardinal's book?

2. Describe the file that Morrison begins to keep.

3. Who does Morrison blame for literary whiteness and blackness?

4. What can happen if we learn about the way Africanism functions in the literary imagination?

5. Describe the character Sapphira and her motives.

6. What does it mean when Morrison says that her vulnerability lies in romanticizing blackness?

7. Which authors does Morrison describe as using black references in their work?

8. What is the Byatt quote from Possession about?

9. What does Morrison say about Africanism worldwide?

10. What is the most significant question that stems from Morrison reading Cardinal's book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Morrison states that she struggles with language that evokes hidden signals of racial superiority and that her vulnerability lies in romanticizing blackness. What does this mean? What does this tell the reader about Morrison and about literature? Give an example of hidden signals of racial superiority and romanticizing a race.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Morrison's comments about Willa Cather's novel Sapphira and the Slave Girl. What does Morrison have to say about the novel? Why does she say it would be meaningless without Africanist characters and the pedestal of racial degradation? Is this true?

Essay Topic 3

Morrison started a file to document instances of black people igniting moments of discovery in literature not written by them. Why is this significant? Why did Morrison begin doing this? Is this a positive or negative thing for Morrison to do? Why? What effect did doing this have on Morrison?

(see the answer keys)

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