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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Part 3, The Shadow and the Act, Section 4.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do the blues capture?
(a) Religion of the Negro people.
(b) The time period in which they were written.
(c) Personality of the singer.
(d) Tragic and comic sense of the human condition.

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

3. Why are slaves able to express themselves in art?
(a) Entertainment was enforced by white culture.
(b) Art was seen as harmless by slave owners.
(c) They came from African cultures where art was highly functional.
(d) They were given artistic education by slave owners.

4. Which critics of "Black Boy" does Ellison want to respond to?
(a) Those who believe Wright is self-involved.
(b) Those who see the book as a miracle and its author a mystery.
(c) Those who believe Wright is a communist.
(d) Those who believe Wright is exaggerating the truth.

5. What work of literature seizes Ellison's young mind early on?
(a) The Waste Land.
(b) The Bible.
(c) The American Constitution.
(d) Black like me.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Ellison praise about "Primer for White Folks?"

2. Where does Charlie Christian come from?

3. How much money is spent on the making of "An American Dilemma?"

4. What does Ellison do to find some peace and quiet?

5. Who is Charlie Christian?

(see the answer key)

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