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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 city does a man editing a credited black newspaper give the narrator a great deal of time and conversation in Chapter 10?

2. The narrator claims that he did not feel at ease until the ship was where in Chapter 9?

3. How much money does the narrator say that the most popular African American jockey of the day earns per year in Chapter 7?

4. The narrator claims in Chapter 8 that his section of New York is limited to how many blocks?

5. Whose diplomacy does the narrator say is to be admired when the discussion of race comes up in the smoking train car in Chapter 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the author incorporate slave narratives in his descriptions of the South in Chapter 10?

2. With whom does the narrator form a friendship on the ship to Boston in Chapter 10? What do they discuss?

3. How does the narrator describe the success of the Chinese restaurant under the “Club” in Chapter 7?

4. How realistic are the hardships faced by African Americans as depicted in the narrative?

5. Why does the millionaire decide to go to Europe? Where does he go while there?

6. How does the narrative distinguish the differences between the North and South regarding race relations?

7. What does the narrator get in exchange for his work for the millionaire in Europe? What are his impressions of the continent?

8. How is humor used in the slave narratives and in the novel?

9. Who hires the narrator as a patron in Chapter 7? What does the narrator do for his employer?

10. What musical style does the narrator describe in depth in Chapter 5? When did this style emerge?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the history of segregation in the South, and particularly in Georgia. When were the Jim Crow laws enacted? When were they repealed? How did these laws influence society in the South? What segregation does the narrator experience before going to the South?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of race relations in the novel. How is racial prejudice expressed through the language of the narrator during his childhood? How does the language influence the narrator’s views of African Americans and whites? What impact does this language have on readers today?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the segregation of white and black clubs in New York during this time period in history. Were the whites who came to the black clubs ostracized? Why or why not? When were African Americans allowed into white clubs?

(see the answer keys)

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