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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. In what year was Du Bois's sociological study entitled The Philadelphia Negro published?

2. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed voters in what part of the United States to choose to permit slavery through a popular vote?

3. What was the main premise behind the theory of polygenesis?

4. In what year did the Plessy vs. Ferguson case lead to widespread segregation?

5. In what year does Gates say the New Negro movement began?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the monogenecists' two different explanations for the dark color of African Americans' skin.

2. What is the origin of the title Stony the Road?

3. What two events does Gate use in order to mark the beginning and climax of the Redemption era?

4. To what modern event does Gates connect the period of Redemption and why?

5. What aspect of the New Negro movement did Gates initially find problematic?

6. Explain the significance of Charles Darwin's cousin Francis Galton.

7. How does Gates go about interweaving the two themes of healing and justice?

8. What were the qualities associated with the Old Negro, according to Gates?

9. For what purpose does Gates draw a parallel between Reconstruction and a particular modern event?

10. How did the institution of slavery make contact with the western part of North America?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what way does Gates, Jr. go about breaking the text into parts and how do these structural elements help to advance the text’s arguments?

Essay Topic 2

How does Gates, Jr. use sensory details in order to strengthen the text’s messages? Discuss at least two passages that include the use of sensory details and pull quotes from these passages to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

How is the theme of injustice portrayed within Stony the Road? Examine Gates, Jr.'s treatment of and messages regarding injustice throughout the work.

(see the answer keys)

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