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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. Which president does Cleaver say opposes sit-ins and teach-ins?

2. Whose teachings does Cleaver say he carefully studied before supporting him?

3. What word does Cleaver use in this chapter to refer to all black men?

4. What kind of war does Cleaver say the Vietnam War is?

5. What does Cleaver say he shares with Beverly?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why don't the younger men like the elderly black prisoner in Chapter 13?

2. Why does Cleaver think President Johnson opposes sit-ins and teach-ins?

3. What does Axelrod say in her reply to Cleaver's first letter?

4. Summarize the final chapter.

5. What reason does Cleaver give for the riot in Watts?

6. How have Axelrod and Cleaver's time in prison changed his attitude to women?

7. How does Cleaver think humankind began?

8. What does Cleaver think threatens the Negro revolution?

9. Why does Cleaver think things like the twist have become so influential?

10. What does Cleaver think is the only way to guarantee black security?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss with the students first person point of view. Why do the students think first person point of view is not necessarily reliable? What moments in the book do the students think are not so reliable and why? With the students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the first person.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss differences between the novel and autobiography formats. What are the main elements of a novel? What are the main elements of an autobiography? What can novelists express that an autobiographer cannot? How can autobiographies keep to the facts while still maintaining a level of entertainment?

Essay Topic 3

Examine Cleaver's writing style. How would you describe his prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? Does he use any specific writing techniques? What meaning does Cleaver's style give to his story?

(see the answer keys)

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