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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Does Ellison have "Invisible Man" completely thought out prior to writing it?
(a) Partly, he knew what the ending would be, but that was all.
(b) No, he just wrote as it came to him.
(c) Ellison refuses to discuss his writing method.
(d) Yes, the conceptual framework was in place.

2. Who is Mrs. Lydia Maria Child?
(a) Primary benefactor of Tuskegee Institute.
(b) Teacher of jazz poetry.
(c) Patron of the LeRoi Restaurant.
(d) Leading member of the American Anti-Slavery Society.

3. What is Mrs. Jackson cooking in "The Way It Is?"
(a) Chili con carne.
(b) Peas, rice and pork chops.
(c) Hot dogs and tuna fish casserole.
(d) Venison and lima beans.

4. What do the three sections of "Invisible Man" represent?
(a) Darkness to dawn to full sun at noon.
(b) Terror to understanding to acceptance.
(c) Purpose to passion to perception.
(d) Ancient to modern to future.

5. What is Ellison's reaction to the term "Negro culture?"
(a) The term is so vague as to be meaningless.
(b) Past and gone from sight.
(c) Highest type of culture.
(d) It is the world he longs to be in.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Jones advise his audience to do?

2. What does Charlie Christian play when he was a young child?

3. What establishment is to the right of Ellison?

4. What is the significance of printing Negro with a capital N?

5. What church does Mahalia grow up in?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Teddy Hill?

2. Where is the Lefargue Psychiatric Clinic located?

3. What place does "Living with Music" describe?

4. In the Paris Review (Spring 1955) Ellison was interviewed about his work as a writer. What does he say his first piece of professional writing was?

5. What does Ellison understand the term "Negro culture" to mean?

6. Who is Mahalia Jackson?

7. What type of music does the upstairs singer practice all day?

8. What was Jackson's early life like?

9. What captures the attention of many critics about "Blues People."

10. What does Ellison believe is the primary American theme in both life and literature?

(see the answer keys)

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