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

2. Why does "Invisible Man" take so long to complete?

3. In "The Art of Fiction: An Interview" what does Ellison say at the very beginning?

4. What does the drunk of legend who lives on the corner like to yell?

5. What falls on Ellison and his wife while they sleep?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Ellison say about a Negro President?

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

4. What does the "drunk of legend" who lives on the corner do?

5. What does Ellison believe Jackson's greatest gift is?

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

7. What was Jackson's early life like?

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

9. Why does Ellison disagree with Jones when he says "A slave cannot be a man"?

10. Who is LeRoi Jones?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the four articles on musicians written for the Saturday Review, Ellison explores the development of each individual artist. What do Mahalia Jackson, Charlie Parker, Charlie Christian and Jimmy Rushing have in common? Why does Ellison choose both nationally famous and locally famous musicians to write about? How are the careers and styles of the four musicians different?

Essay Topic 2

The Lafargue Psychiatric Clinic is profiled with a sense of gratitude and anger. What is Ellison angry about and why? As much as he admires the clinic, why does he feel it should not be necessary? What is at the source of mental suffering for many persons in the Harlem community?

Essay Topic 3

In the film review "The Shadow and the Act" Ellison criticizes Hollywood's portrayal of Negro Americans as "Shadow," by which he means illusion. The act refers to reality, what truly is, which Hollywood shows little interest in revealing. Describe Ellison's theory and show how he uses the example of film to reveal what is for him an overall American habit of focusing on illusion rather than reality.

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