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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Part 2, Sound and the Mainstream, Section 3.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does Ellison say civil wars are fought?
(a) "In no man's land which cannot be grasped."
(b) "Between and betwixt fantasy and reality."
(c) "On the field of family ties."
(d) "Within the individual human heart."

2. What is Ellison's original choice of career?
(a) Musician.
(b) Policeman.
(c) Barber.
(d) Politician.

3. What is the first book Ellison ever reviews in a publication?
(a) Richard Wright's "Amazing Grace."
(b) James Baldwin's "Protest Novel."
(c) E. Waters Turpin's "These Low Grounds."
(d) John Joseph's "Ain't no way out."

4. What does the phrase "beating that boy" mean?
(a) A quick victory in chess.
(b) The actions of white policemen upon finding Negros in the wrong part of town.
(c) Polite conversation between white and Negro persons about the "Negro problem".
(d) The insidious method of beating the life out of a Negro man by calling him "boy".

5. What writers does Ellison wish had been included in the "Primer for White Folks"?
(a) Young unknown writers.
(b) Major, widely-read American authors.
(c) More Negro writers.
(d) Hispanic authors.

Short Answer Questions

1. What book does Hemingway believe all modern American fiction sprang from?

2. What two types of music is Ellison torn between as a child?

3. What is Jimmy Rushing's instrument?

4. Why does Ellison reject the "hard-boiled" novel style of writing?

5. Other white cultures have black face type entertainment, but what is different about American black face?

(see the answer key)

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