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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Part 1, The Seer and the Seen, Section 4.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Ellison describe the philosopher Kierkegaard in the "Stephen Crane.." essay?
(a) Philosopher king who wrecked the castle.
(b) Pinnacle of the romantic poets of the 1950s.
(c) Household god for many contemporary novelists.
(d) The keeper of Sophocles flame.

2. What does Ellison believe writing is?
(a) Ethical instrument.
(b) Mindless activity.
(c) Channeling of higher beings.
(d) A way to criticize others.

3. What are Crane's parents like?
(a) Fundamentalist Christians.
(b) French born intellectuals.
(c) Marxist sympathizers.
(d) Libertine alcoholics.

4. Who is Stanley Edgar Hyman?
(a) Ellison's uncle who has a good sense of humor.
(b) A scholar who wrote on the relationship between Negro literature and folklore.
(c) The prominent Negro intellectual who wrote "Santa Claus is Black."
(d) A lyricist and comedian in the 1930's.

5. How many children are in Stephen Crane's birth family?
(a) 20.
(b) 1.
(c) 2.
(d) 14.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where and when is the essay "Change the Joke and Slip the Yoke" published?

2. What does Mark Twain do with the character of Jim that breaks through the black face minstrel tradition?

3. In the essay "Change the Joke and Slip the Yoke" what does Ellison say black face allows white America to do?

4. What are the three themes of "Shadow and Act" according to the Introduction?

5. How does Ellison start writing?

(see the answer key)

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